BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• BankUnited has a consensus “Hold” rating from 14 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $51.64 versus the shares’ recent price of $46.39.
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $0.97, below the $1.00 consensus estimate, while revenue of $284.57 million also missed expectations but increased 3.9% year over year.
• BankUnited pays a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, representing an annualized yield of approximately 2.8%; insiders sold 8,000 shares over the past three months, while institutional investors own 99.7% of the stock.

Shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.6364.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded BankUnited from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Barclays cut their price objective on BankUnited from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of BankUnited from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of BankUnited from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th.

BankUnited Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BKU opened at $46.39 on Wednesday. BankUnited has a 52 week low of $35.10 and a 52 week high of $52.11. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $47.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.02. The company has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.71 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $284.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $290.33 million. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.13% and a net margin of 14.76%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. Research analysts predict that BankUnited will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. BankUnited's payout ratio is presently 36.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BankUnited news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.67, for a total transaction of $194,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 40,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,971,232.34. This trade represents a 8.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.90, for a total transaction of $143,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 42,472 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,034,408.80. The trade was a 6.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,000 shares of company stock worth $384,350 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 158.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company's stock.

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank's lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source