BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Earns "Sector Perform" Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• BankUnited has received a "sector perform" rating from Royal Bank of Canada, with a price target of $42.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.79% from its recent close.
• Analyst ratings for BankUnited are mixed, with five analysts giving it a Buy rating, six a Hold, and one a Sell, leading to an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $41.91.
• In the latest earnings report, BankUnited topped EPS estimates with $0.95, but quarterly revenue fell by 7.1% year-over-year to $275.68 million, below analyst expectations.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sector perform" rating reissued by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $42.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective suggests a potential upside of 13.79% from the stock's previous close.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on BKU. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Hovde Group upped their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $41.91.

BankUnited Stock Performance

Shares of BKU opened at $36.91 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average is $38.37 and its 200-day moving average is $36.04. BankUnited has a 12 month low of $28.21 and a 12 month high of $44.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.11. BankUnited had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The company had revenue of $275.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $280.33 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. BankUnited's quarterly revenue was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other BankUnited news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,942 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.81, for a total value of $152,989.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 39,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,521,080.33. This trade represents a 9.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.79, for a total transaction of $135,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 43,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,675,921.95. The trade was a 7.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.15% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BankUnited

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of BankUnited by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,977,999 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $70,397,000 after buying an additional 128,728 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of BankUnited by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,776,183 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $63,223,000 after buying an additional 13,555 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of BankUnited by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,475,797 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $52,524,000 after buying an additional 14,358 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in shares of BankUnited by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,250,997 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,084,000 after buying an additional 101,170 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of BankUnited by 893.2% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,150,879 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,636,000 after buying an additional 1,035,002 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company's stock.

About BankUnited

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.

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