Bayview Asset Management LLC Buys New Holdings in BankUnited, Inc. $BKU

Key Points

• Bayview Asset Management LLC invested approximately $947,000 in BankUnited, Inc. by acquiring 27,500 shares, making it the firm's 13th largest holding.
• BankUnited reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.91, exceeding analysts' expectations, and also announced a dividend of $0.31 per share.
• Major investment firms, including Cerity Partners LLC and Versant Capital Management Inc, have recently increased their stakes in BankUnited, reflecting growing interest in the company.

Bayview Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 27,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $947,000. BankUnited comprises about 0.4% of Bayview Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in shares of BankUnited by 14,050.0% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 849 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 843 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in BankUnited by 165.5% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,175 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in BankUnited in the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 697.4% during the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 2,155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter valued at $216,000. 99.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at BankUnited

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,942 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.81, for a total value of $152,989.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 39,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,521,080.33. This trade represents a 9.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.79, for a total value of $135,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,675,921.95. The trade was a 7.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BKU shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on BankUnited from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen raised BankUnited from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BankUnited in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Citigroup upped their price objective on BankUnited from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on BankUnited in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating and a $39.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.55.

BankUnited Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE:BKU traded down $0.79 on Tuesday, reaching $38.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 89,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 808,732. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.27 and a beta of 1.29. BankUnited, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.21 and a 12-month high of $44.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.25.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.12. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 13.19%.The business had revenue of $273.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $267.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.72 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that BankUnited, Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 11th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 11th. BankUnited's dividend payout ratio is 36.36%.

BankUnited Profile

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.