Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. Trims Stock Position in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. lowered its position in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) by 26.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 160,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 57,900 shares during the quarter. Banner makes up about 1.9% of Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Banner were worth $10,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Banner by 79.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,328,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $79,132,000 after buying an additional 588,591 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Banner by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,785,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $106,334,000 after acquiring an additional 193,434 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in Banner by 395.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 166,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,894,000 after purchasing an additional 132,586 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Banner during the 3rd quarter worth $6,477,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Banner by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,330,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $79,219,000 after purchasing an additional 43,398 shares during the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banner Stock Performance

NASDAQ BANR opened at $68.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Banner Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.00 and a fifty-two week high of $78.05. The business has a fifty day moving average of $69.03 and a 200-day moving average of $65.18. The stock has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 1.09.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. As a group, analysts predict that Banner Co. will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. Banner’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BANR shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Banner in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Banner from $69.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment 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 MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.