Banner Corporation $BANR Shares Bought by Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in Banner by 93.8% in Q4, acquiring 236,394 shares to hold 488,295 shares (about 1.43% of the company) valued at roughly $30.6 million, while institutional investors own 87.33% of the stock.
• Analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $70.00 (four Buy, three Hold); notable moves include Piper Sandler cutting its target to $63 and Weiss Ratings upgrading Banner to a Buy.
• Banner reported quarterly EPS of $1.55 (beats), trades at a PE of 11.35 with a market cap around $2.17B, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.50 (annualized yield ~3.1%, payout ratio ~35.46%).

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 93.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 488,295 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 236,394 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 1.43% of Banner worth $30,597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Banner during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banner in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banner in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banner in the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Banner by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,137 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Banner from $67.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Banner from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Banner from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.00.

Banner Price Performance

BANR opened at $63.99 on Monday. Banner Corporation has a one year low of $54.82 and a one year high of $69.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock's fifty day moving average is $61.58 and its 200-day moving average is $62.74. The company has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 0.85.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $169.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.23 million. Banner had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 22.26%. On average, equities analysts predict that Banner Corporation will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Banner's payout ratio is 35.46%.

About Banner

Banner Corporation, through its principal subsidiary Banner Bank, operates as a regional commercial bank headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 2000 as a bank holding company, Banner traces its origins to community banking roots in Eastern Washington dating back to the late 19th century. Over the past two decades, the company has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong presence throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services for individual and business clients.

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