BNP Paribas Financial Markets Reduces Stock Position in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its stake in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 47.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,326 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,687 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Banner were worth $489,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Banner in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Banner by 816.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew 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 worth $111,000 after buying an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Banner by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.33% of the company's stock.

Banner Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of BANR traded up $0.90 on Tuesday, hitting $62.73. 171,910 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 216,766. The company has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 0.90. Banner Co. has a one year low of $44.59 and a one year high of $78.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.77.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $159.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Banner Co. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BANR shares. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target (down previously from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target 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 reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, April 21st. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Banner from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banner presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.83.

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.