Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Banner shares crossed above their 200-day moving average (200‑day MA $62.88), trading as high as $67.11 and last at $66.91 on volume ~217,800, signaling a short-term technical breakout.
• Analyst sentiment has improved: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $67, Wall Street Zen moved from "sell" to "hold" and Weiss Ratings upgraded to "buy," though the consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of $70 (2 Buy, 3 Hold).
• Solid fundamentals and shareholder returns: Banner beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.59 vs. $1.38), posted a healthy net margin and ROE, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.52 (annualized $2.08) for a ~3.1% yield and a 33.7% payout ratio.

Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $62.88 and traded as high as $67.11. Banner shares last traded at $66.91, with a volume of 217,794 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BANR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Banner from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Banner from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Banner from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.00.

Banner Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $61.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $168.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $169.60 million. Banner had a net margin of 23.24% and a return on equity of 10.77%. Equities analysts expect that Banner Corporation will post 6.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Banner Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a positive change from Banner's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 5th. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BANR. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Banner by 241.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 454,807 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,498,000 after purchasing an additional 321,522 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in shares of Banner by 93.8% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 488,295 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,597,000 after purchasing an additional 236,394 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Banner by 19.6% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,011,347 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $64,878,000 after purchasing an additional 165,557 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Banner by 60.7% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 366,689 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,977,000 after purchasing an additional 138,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Banner by 307.8% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 173,742 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,380,000 after purchasing an additional 131,140 shares during the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Banner Company Profile

Banner Corporation, through its principal subsidiary Banner Bank, operates as a regional commercial bank headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 2000 as a bank holding company, Banner traces its origins to community banking roots in Eastern Washington dating back to the late 19th century. Over the past two decades, the company has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong presence throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services for individual and business clients.

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