Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Bank OZK has a consensus analyst rating of Hold from 11 brokers (1 sell, 5 hold, 5 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $56.89.
• Institutional investors own about 86.18% of the shares, and major funds (Wasatch, Dimensional, State Street, Charles Schwab, First Trust) have recently increased their stakes.
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $1.53, slightly missing estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.47 (annualized yield ~3.9%); the shares trade at a PE of 7.77 and a market cap of about $5.36 billion.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $56.8889.

Several equities analysts recently commented on OZK shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Piper Sandler set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in Bank OZK by 34.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 7,437,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $379,171,000 after acquiring an additional 1,924,387 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Bank OZK by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,587,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $303,141,000 after acquiring an additional 124,691 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Bank OZK by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,556,105 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,712,000 after acquiring an additional 546,785 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Bank OZK by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,554,014 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,576,000 after acquiring an additional 73,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Bank OZK by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,901,611 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,532,000 after acquiring an additional 93,445 shares during the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank OZK Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ OZK opened at $47.94 on Friday. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $36.50 and a 12-month high of $53.66. The company has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 7.77 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm's 50-day moving average is $47.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.12.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $436.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $434.68 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.50% and a return on equity of 12.65%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. Bank OZK's payout ratio is currently 29.82%.

Bank OZK Company Profile

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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