Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 37.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 162,097 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 97,629 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.47% of Banner worth $10,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in Banner during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Banner during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Banner by 167.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Banner by 46.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Banner by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BANR. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Banner from $69.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Banner currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.20.

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Banner Stock Performance

BANR traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $64.65. 151,638 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 198,708. The stock has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Banner Co. has a 12 month low of $42.00 and a 12 month high of $78.05.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. Analysts anticipate that Banner Co. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%.

Banner Profile

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities in the United States. It accepts various deposit instruments, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as treasury management services and retirement savings plans.