Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Bank OZK from “Hold” to “Sell,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $56.88.
• Bank OZK shares opened at $47.88, below their 50-day moving average, despite the company slightly beating quarterly EPS expectations at $1.49 versus $1.48.
• The bank authorized a $200 million share-repurchase program, covering up to 3.4% of outstanding shares; institutional investors own approximately 86.2% of the stock.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Bank OZK from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Citigroup reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Bank OZK from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank OZK presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.88.

Bank OZK Stock Up 0.1%

Bank OZK stock opened at $47.88 on Friday. Bank OZK has a one year low of $42.37 and a one year high of $53.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.37 and a 200 day moving average of $48.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 7.91 and a beta of 0.88.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 11.87% and a net margin of 24.95%.The business had revenue of $430.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $436.42 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

Bank OZK declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Monday, June 29th that allows the company to repurchase $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Bank OZK

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in OZK. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Bank OZK in the fourth quarter worth $59,809,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Bank OZK during the second quarter worth $63,410,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in Bank OZK by 41.7% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 929,888 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,673,000 after acquiring an additional 273,543 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor bought a new position in Bank OZK during the second quarter valued at $14,038,000. Finally, Ranger Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in Bank OZK during the second quarter valued at $13,240,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.18% of the company's stock.

Bank OZK News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank OZK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $1.44 from $1.43, FY2026 EPS to $5.82 from $5.81, Q3 2027 EPS to $1.61 from $1.54, and Q1 2028 EPS to $1.73 from $1.67. These increases suggest somewhat better expected earnings in several periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: The $5.82 FY2026 forecast remains close to the broader consensus estimate of $5.83. However, the estimate changes are analyst revisions rather than new company guidance, so their immediate effect may be limited.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks added Bank OZK to its Rank #5 “Strong Sell” list, a prominent negative signal that may weigh on investor sentiment. New Strong Sell Stocks for September 17th
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its estimates for Q1 2027 EPS to $1.44 from $1.47, Q2 2027 EPS to $1.48 from $1.56, Q4 2027 EPS to $1.55 from $1.60, FY2027 EPS to $6.09 from $6.18, Q2 2028 EPS to $1.74 from $2.01, and FY2028 EPS to $7.32 from $7.78. The broad downward revisions point to weaker expected earnings growth beyond 2026.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK is a regional financial institution headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The company provides banking services to individuals, businesses and institutions through a network of banking offices concentrated in the Southeastern United States and select markets, including New York and California.

Its products and services include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential and commercial real estate loans, consumer lending, commercial and industrial financing, treasury management and other business banking solutions.

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