Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Shares Sold by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP cut its stake in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,772,114 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 13,205 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 5.14% of Banner worth $118,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BANR. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in Banner by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Banner during the fourth quarter worth $6,075,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Banner in the fourth quarter valued at $467,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Banner by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 738,356 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $49,300,000 after buying an additional 38,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in Banner during the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. 87.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banner Stock Performance

Shares of BANR traded up $1.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $59.13. 44,634 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 208,302. Banner Co. has a twelve month low of $42.00 and a twelve month high of $78.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 0.94. The business's 50-day moving average price is $66.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.26.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a return on equity of 10.03% and a net margin of 20.28%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BANR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.20.

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.