BankUnited, Inc. $BKU Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors increased its BankUnited stake by 18.4% in the first quarter, buying 29,069 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 186,722 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 99.70% of the company.
• BankUnited reported quarterly EPS of $0.97, below the $1.00 consensus estimate, while revenue of $284.57 million also missed forecasts but rose 3.9% year over year. The bank declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33, equivalent to a 2.8% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $52.00 target price, although several firms recently lowered their price targets. BankUnited shares opened at $46.64, up 1.2%.

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Free Report) by 18.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 186,722 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 29,069 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.26% of BankUnited worth $8,432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in BankUnited during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in BankUnited in the first quarter worth $28,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in BankUnited by 158.2% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in BankUnited by 17,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company's stock.

BankUnited Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE BKU opened at $46.64 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $47.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.07. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 1.17. BankUnited, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.79 and a 12-month high of $52.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 9.13% and a net margin of 14.76%.The company had revenue of $284.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $290.33 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that BankUnited, Inc. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. BankUnited's payout ratio is 36.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of BankUnited from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Hovde Group reduced their price target on shares of BankUnited from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen raised BankUnited from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on BankUnited from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at BankUnited

In other news, Director John N. Digiacomo sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total value of $45,970.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,027 shares in the company, valued at $690,791.19. This represents a 6.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jay D. Richards sold 4,000 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.67, for a total value of $194,680.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 40,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,971,232.34. This represents a 8.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About BankUnited

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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