Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on BANR. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Banner from $75.00 to $73.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price target (down from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a research report on Monday, April 21st. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.83.

Banner Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ BANR traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $63.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 170,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 213,546. Banner has a 12-month low of $44.59 and a 12-month high of $78.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.90. The business's 50 day moving average is $62.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.10.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.06. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. The business had revenue of $159.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.72 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Banner will post 5.23 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banner

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Banner by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banner by 53.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 754 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Banner by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas raised its stake in Banner by 69.1% in the 1st quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 805 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Banner by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,792 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.33% of the company's stock.

About Banner

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.