Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Stock Price

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $50.00 to $42.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target suggests a potential upside of 39.91% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on BankUnited from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays cut their price objective on BankUnited from $44.00 to $38.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Hovde Group lowered their target price on shares of BankUnited from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Compass Point boosted their price target on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of BankUnited from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $42.18.

BankUnited Stock Performance

BKU traded up $0.37 on Wednesday, hitting $30.02. 887,475 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 826,738. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $35.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. BankUnited has a 52 week low of $24.34 and a 52 week high of $44.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a PE ratio of 9.75 and a beta of 1.20.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 11.48%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sanjiv Sobti bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $32.83 per share, for a total transaction of $32,830.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $715,103.06. This represents a 4.81 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,234 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total transaction of $113,772.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,250 shares in the company, valued at $430,955. This represents a 20.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of BankUnited

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKU. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 182.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in BankUnited by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in BankUnited by 165.5% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 1,175 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of BankUnited in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of BankUnited by 270.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,927 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,407 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company's stock.

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.