Cantor Fitzgerald Begins Coverage on BankUnited (NYSE:BKU)

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald has initiated coverage on BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) with an "overweight" rating and a price target of $44.00, suggesting a potential upside of 13.26% from the current stock price.
• BankUnited recently reported earnings of $0.91 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and showing year-over-year growth from $0.72 per share.
• The average rating for BankUnited shares is currently "Hold," with 4 analysts giving a Buy rating, 7 a Hold rating, and 1 a Sell rating, indicating mixed sentiment from analysts.

Equities research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an "overweight" rating and a $44.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's target price indicates a potential upside of 13.26% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Hovde Group upped their target price on shares of BankUnited from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised BankUnited from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on BankUnited in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $43.00 price target (up previously from $41.00) on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.75.

BankUnited Stock Performance

NYSE:BKU opened at $38.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 1.29. The company's 50-day moving average is $37.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.24. BankUnited has a 1-year low of $28.21 and a 1-year high of $44.45.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $273.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $267.17 million. BankUnited had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 9.00%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.72 EPS. Analysts forecast that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at BankUnited

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BankUnited

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKU. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in BankUnited by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 562,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,467,000 after purchasing an additional 136,343 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,032,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in BankUnited by 36.8% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 79,257 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,025,000 after purchasing an additional 21,321 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. grew its holdings in BankUnited by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 10,167 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in BankUnited by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 286,475 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,933,000 after purchasing an additional 64,803 shares during the period. 99.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BankUnited Company Profile

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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