Boston Partners Makes New $26.30 Million Investment in BankUnited, Inc. $BKU

Key Points

• Boston Partners acquired a new stake of 771,673 shares in BankUnited, Inc., valued at approximately $26.3 million, representing about 1.03% ownership by the institutional investor.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed forecasts for BankUnited, with price targets ranging from $34 to $45, and a consensus rating of "Hold" with a price target of $41.55.
• BankUnited recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, yielding approximately 3.2%, with a payout ratio of 36.36%.

Boston Partners acquired a new stake in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 771,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $26,299,000. Boston Partners owned 1.03% of BankUnited at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 165.5% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 1,175 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its holdings in BankUnited by 697.4% during the 1st quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 2,155 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in BankUnited during the 4th quarter worth about $216,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in BankUnited during the 1st quarter worth about $231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BKU shares. Citigroup upped their price target on BankUnited from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded BankUnited from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays upped their price target on BankUnited from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Hovde Group upped their price target on BankUnited from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on BankUnited from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.55.

BankUnited Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:BKU traded up $0.0450 on Wednesday, hitting $37.2350. 443,295 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 785,103. The firm's 50-day moving average is $36.57 and its 200 day moving average is $35.43. The company has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 1.32. BankUnited, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.21 and a 1-year high of $44.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $273.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $267.17 million. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 13.19%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that BankUnited, Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 11th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 11th. BankUnited's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.36%.

Insider Transactions at BankUnited

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,942 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 39,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,521,080.33. This represents a 9.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John N. Digiacomo sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.43, for a total value of $34,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $499,785.88. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,442 shares of company stock valued at $323,184. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.