Banner Corporation (BANR) - What Are Analysts Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is neutral: Banner Corporation has a consensus “Hold” rating from six analysts, with four holds and two buys. The average 12-month price target is $75.75, above the reported share price of $69.21.
• Banner exceeded earnings expectations: The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.51, beating consensus estimates of $1.41, although revenue of $179.07 million fell short of the $184.24 million forecast.
• Investors receive a 3% dividend yield: Banner announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, or $2.08 annualized, while institutional investors own 87.33% of the company’s outstanding stock.

Shares of Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.75.

Several research firms recently commented on BANR. Stephens raised their target price on Banner from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Banner from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Banner from $74.00 to $71.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Banner from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banner

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Banner by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,177,070 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $132,104,000 after acquiring an additional 18,077 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Banner during the second quarter worth about $20,508,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Banner by 4.9% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 216,221 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,120,000 after purchasing an additional 10,146 shares in the last quarter. North Reef Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Banner in the first quarter worth $11,860,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Banner by 25.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 171,439 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,403,000 after purchasing an additional 34,679 shares in the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banner Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:BANR opened at $69.21 on Friday. Banner has a fifty-two week low of $57.05 and a fifty-two week high of $74.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $69.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.10.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $179.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $184.24 million. Banner had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 22.81%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Banner will post 6.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 5th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 5th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.37%.

About Banner

Banner Corporation NASDAQ: BANR is a bank holding company headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Through its principal subsidiary, Banner Bank, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and communities in the Pacific Northwest.

Banner Bank offers deposit products, residential and commercial real estate lending, construction and land development loans, commercial and industrial financing, agricultural loans, consumer loans and home equity products.

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