Trexquant Investment LP Acquires 10,744 Shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 36.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,031 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,744 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.12% of Banner worth $2,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson raised their target price on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.20.

Banner Stock Performance

Banner stock traded down $0.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $56.51. The company had a trading volume of 207,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 211,220. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $64.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.07. Banner Co. has a 52 week low of $42.00 and a 52 week high of $78.05.

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

Banner Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Banner's payout ratio is currently 39.34%.

About Banner

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.