BankUnited, Inc. (BKU) - What Are Brokerages Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on BankUnited, with six buys, five holds and three sells among 14 firms. The average 12-month price target is $49.45, although several brokerages recently lowered their targets to roughly $49–$52.
• BankUnited’s latest quarterly results fell slightly short of expectations, with EPS of $0.97 versus a $1.00 estimate and revenue of $284.57 million versus $290.33 million expected. Revenue still increased 3.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.32 payout and a 3.2% yield. Institutional investors own 99.7% of the stock, while shares recently traded at $41.09—below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the fourteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.45.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BankUnited from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of BankUnited from $52.00 to $49.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on BankUnited from $51.00 to $49.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Hovde Group cut their price objective on BankUnited from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on BankUnited from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Douglas Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.90, for a total value of $143,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 42,472 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,034,408.80. The trade was a 6.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of BankUnited by 62.7% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 690 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in BankUnited by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 938 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in BankUnited in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in BankUnited during the 2nd quarter valued at $59,000. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BankUnited Stock Performance

BankUnited stock opened at $41.09 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $44.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. BankUnited has a 1-year low of $35.10 and a 1-year high of $52.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a PE ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 1.20.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.00 by ($0.03). BankUnited had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 9.13%. The business had revenue of $284.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $290.33 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. BankUnited's quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. BankUnited's dividend payout ratio is 36.16%.

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc NYSE: BKU is the bank holding company for BankUnited, N.A., a regional financial institution headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida. The bank serves businesses, professionals, institutions and individual consumers through a range of commercial and personal banking products.

BankUnited's offerings include commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate financing, residential mortgage warehouse lending, consumer loans, checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and treasury management services.

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