UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Stake in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 110,412 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 20,326 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.32% of Banner worth $7,372,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BANR. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 441 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Banner by 816.9% during the fourth 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 boosted its position in Banner by 46.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after buying an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased 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 valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.33% of the company's stock.

Banner Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ BANR traded down $0.04 during trading on Thursday, hitting $61.14. 15,136 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 214,441. The firm has a market cap of $2.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.90. Banner Co. has a 12-month low of $44.90 and a 12-month high of $78.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.27.

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

Banner Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. Banner's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BANR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banner from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Banner from $75.00 to $73.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price objective (down from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a research report on Monday, April 21st. One 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Banner has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.