Keybank National Association OH Raises Stake in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Keybank National Association OH grew its stake in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) by 83.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,078 shares during the quarter. Keybank National Association OH’s holdings in Banner were worth $452,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its stake in Banner by 2.3% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 6,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of Banner by 3.0% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,443 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Banner by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of Banner during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 87.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banner Stock Performance

BANR opened at $63.92 on Monday. Banner Co. has a 52-week low of $42.00 and a 52-week high of $78.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.10 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $68.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.56.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) 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, equities analysts anticipate 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 issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. Banner’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. 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 research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Banner has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.20.

Banner Company 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.