D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. decreased its position in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 86.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 23,845 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Banner were worth $247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in Banner by 10,213.3% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 634,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,371,000 after buying an additional 628,426 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Banner by 28.1% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,701,653 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $113,619,000 after buying an additional 373,037 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Banner in the 4th quarter worth about $10,023,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Banner by 40.5% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 398,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,586,000 after buying an additional 114,731 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Banner in the 4th quarter worth about $6,075,000. Institutional investors own 87.33% of the company's stock.

Banner Price Performance

BANR stock traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $61.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 157,498 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,712. Banner Co. has a 12 month low of $44.90 and a 12 month high of $78.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.69 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of $61.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.70.

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

Banner Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Banner's payout ratio is 37.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BANR shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Banner from $75.00 to $73.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banner from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.