Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Stock Now Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Bank OZK has a consensus “Hold” rating from 11 analysts: six rate it a hold, three a buy and two a sell. The average 12-month price target is $54.86, compared with a recent price of $46.71.
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $1.49, narrowly exceeding estimates of $1.48, while revenue of $430.02 million fell short of the $436.42 million consensus estimate. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $5.82.
• Bank OZK increased its quarterly dividend to $0.49 per share, implying a 4.2% yield, and authorized a $200 million share-repurchase program covering up to 3.4% of outstanding shares.

Shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.86.

OZK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Friday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Bank OZK from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Citigroup reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Monday, August 17th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 27th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Bank OZK by 0.6% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,625,660 shares of the company's stock worth $304,045,000 after acquiring an additional 38,592 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Bank OZK by 4.6% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,036,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,327,000 after buying an additional 134,490 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Bank OZK by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,146,728 shares of the company's stock worth $98,812,000 after buying an additional 29,024 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Bank OZK during the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,809,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Bank OZK in the second quarter worth $63,410,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.18% of the company's stock.

Bank OZK Price Performance

NASDAQ:OZK opened at $46.71 on Friday. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $42.37 and a 12-month high of $53.39. The firm has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.72 and a beta of 0.92. The company's 50-day moving average is $49.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $430.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $436.42 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 24.95% and a return on equity of 11.87%. The company's revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Bank OZK will post 5.82 EPS for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a positive change from Bank OZK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Bank OZK's payout ratio is currently 31.74%.

Bank OZK announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, June 29th that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Bank OZK Company Profile

Bank OZK NASDAQ: OZK is a regional financial institution headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The bank provides banking and financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions through a network of branches and digital banking channels.

Its products and services include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and commercial loans, residential mortgages, treasury management, online and mobile banking, and wealth management. Bank OZK also provides specialized lending through its Real Estate Specialties Group, which focuses on commercial real estate financing for projects in markets across the United States.

The company traces its origins to 1903, when it was founded as a community bank in Jasper, Arkansas.

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