Algert Global LLC Increases Stock Position in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU)

Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Free Report) by 14.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 352,940 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 44,728 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC owned 0.47% of BankUnited worth $13,472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in BankUnited by 182.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of BankUnited by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in BankUnited by 270.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,927 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,407 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in BankUnited during the fourth quarter worth approximately $113,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in BankUnited by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,028 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at BankUnited

In related news, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,234 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total transaction of $113,772.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $430,955. The trade was a 20.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sanjiv Sobti purchased 2,000 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $32.07 per share, for a total transaction of $64,140.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,782 shares in the company, valued at $666,478.74. This represents a 10.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

BankUnited Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE:BKU traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $33.86. 602,741 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 850,689. BankUnited, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.78 and a twelve month high of $44.45. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.12. The company has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $255.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.35 million. 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 posted $0.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that BankUnited, Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

BankUnited Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 11th. This is a positive change from BankUnited's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. BankUnited's dividend payout ratio is 38.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of BankUnited from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of BankUnited from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on BankUnited from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Hovde Group dropped their price target on BankUnited from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BankUnited has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.55.

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.