AlphaQuest LLC Has $2.02 Million Holdings in BankUnited, Inc. $BKU

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC cut its BankUnited stake by 61.9% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 45,279 shares valued at about $2.02 million.
• BankUnited shares were up 2.1% to $47.21, and the stock remains well above its 12-month low but below its 12-month high of $52.11.
• The bank raised its quarterly dividend to $0.33 per share, while its latest earnings missed estimates, with EPS of $0.83 versus the expected $0.97.

AlphaQuest LLC cut its stake in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Free Report) by 61.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,279 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 73,589 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.06% of BankUnited worth $2,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,472 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in BankUnited by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in BankUnited by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in BankUnited by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 22,256 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in BankUnited by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 17,213 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $767,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BankUnited Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of BankUnited stock opened at $47.21 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. BankUnited, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.06 and a 12 month high of $52.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.69. The stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15 and a beta of 1.19.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.14). BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 14.46%.The company had revenue of $273.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $284.57 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that BankUnited, Inc. will post 4.16 EPS for the current year.

BankUnited Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from BankUnited's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 10th. BankUnited's payout ratio is presently 36.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of BankUnited in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on BankUnited from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on BankUnited from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of BankUnited in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on BankUnited from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BankUnited has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.27.

Insider Activity at BankUnited

In related news, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,447 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total transaction of $162,388.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $541,765. The trade was a 23.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

BankUnited 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.

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