BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on BankUnited to $55 and kept an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 23% upside from the current price; analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $54.
• BankUnited reported Q earnings of $0.94 per share (beating the $0.85 estimate) while revenue of $260.8M missed expectations; the stock traded at $44.68 and sits within a 52‑week range of $28.21–$52.11.
• Insiders sold about 11,953 shares worth $591,492 in the last 90 days (insiders now own 1.15%), while institutional investors hold roughly 99.70% of the company's stock.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $50.00 to $55.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price indicates a potential upside of 23.09% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on BKU. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of BankUnited from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on BankUnited from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on BankUnited from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of BankUnited from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, BankUnited has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $54.00.

BankUnited Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BKU traded up $0.17 on Monday, reaching $44.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 72,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 919,252. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. BankUnited has a 52-week low of $28.21 and a 52-week high of $52.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.49. The company has a market cap of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 1.29.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.09% and a net margin of 14.14%.The company had revenue of $260.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $279.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at BankUnited

In related news, Director Sanjiv Sobti sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.88, for a total value of $254,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,816 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $957,358.08. This represents a 20.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total transaction of $174,703.98. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 35,687 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 11,953 shares of company stock worth $591,492 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.15% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BankUnited

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BKU. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in BankUnited during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of BankUnited in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in BankUnited by 158.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company's stock.

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank's lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.

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