Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Bank OZK has an average analyst rating of "Hold", with 10 analysts covering the stock: one sell, six hold, and three buy ratings. The average 1-year price target is $56.25.
• Several analysts recently updated their views, including UBS initiating coverage with a neutral rating and $48 target, while TD Cowen downgraded the stock to hold with a $53 target. Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo also nudged their price targets higher but kept equal-weight style ratings.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 per share and authorized a $200 million share buyback, signaling continued capital returns to shareholders. Bank OZK also reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS slightly missing estimates while revenue came in above expectations.

Shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.25.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on OZK shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Bank OZK from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of Bank OZK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $53.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, July 6th.

Institutional Trading of Bank OZK

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ruffer LLP acquired a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,137,000. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 531,843 shares of the company's stock worth $24,475,000 after purchasing an additional 63,051 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Bank OZK by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 284,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,371,000 after purchasing an additional 50,258 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Bank OZK by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 285,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,574,000 after purchasing an additional 51,171 shares during the period. Finally, Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Bank OZK by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,869,432 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,031,000 after purchasing an additional 50,985 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank OZK Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:OZK opened at $51.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.38 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $42.37 and a 12-month high of $53.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.18.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $424.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $422.62 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.27% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. Analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a boost from Bank OZK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 13th. Bank OZK's payout ratio is 31.27%.

Bank OZK declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, June 29th that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank's core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.

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