BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 6,687 Shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its holdings in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 47.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,326 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,687 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Banner were worth $489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BANR. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Banner by 167.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Banner by 816.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Banner by 46.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Banner by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the period. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BANR. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price objective (down from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banner from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Banner from $75.00 to $73.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banner has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.83.

Banner Price Performance

BANR stock traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $61.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 157,498 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,712. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Banner Co. has a 12 month low of $44.90 and a 12 month high of $78.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $61.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.69 and a beta of 0.90.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.06. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. The firm had revenue of $159.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. Banner's payout ratio is currently 37.72%.

About Banner

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities in the United States. It accepts various deposit instruments, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as treasury management services and retirement savings plans.