Stifel Financial Corp Purchases 4,489 Shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,450 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,489 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.19% of Banner worth $4,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its holdings in Banner by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 21,819 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 1,980 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Banner by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 20,949 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,399,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Banner during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,864,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Banner by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 78,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,238,000 after buying an additional 2,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Banner by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Banner Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BANR traded up $0.73 during trading on Friday, reaching $63.13. 170,252 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 213,869. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.90. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $62.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.11. Banner Co. has a 12-month low of $44.59 and a 12-month high of $78.05.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.06. Banner had a return on equity of 10.03% and a net margin of 20.28%. The business had revenue of $159.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. Banner's payout ratio is 37.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price target (down previously from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Banner from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.83.

Banner Company Profile

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities in the United States. It accepts various deposit instruments, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as treasury management services and retirement savings plans.