Militia Capital Partners LP Purchases Shares of 24,900 Bank OZK $OZK

Key Points

• Militia Capital Partners LP has made a new investment in Bank OZK, purchasing 24,900 shares valued at approximately $1.08 million, making it the fund's 24th largest holding.
• Bank OZK recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.43 to $0.44 per share, reflecting a 3.4% yield and a payout ratio of 28.57%.
• Recent analyst upgrades increased Bank OZK's target price, with Stephens raising it from $58.00 to $65.00 and Raymond James moving it from a "market perform" to an "outperform" rating.

Militia Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 24,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,082,000. Bank OZK makes up about 0.9% of Militia Capital Partners LP's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in OZK. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 4,828.6% in the first quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,014 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 1,114.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,105 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 2,014.3% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,480 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank OZK Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of OZK stock traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.96. The stock had a trading volume of 167,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,134,551. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $35.71 and a 12-month high of $53.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm's 50-day moving average is $51.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.44 and a beta of 0.92.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.07. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 25.83%.The firm had revenue of $428.04 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $423.41 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 11th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a boost from Bank OZK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 11th. Bank OZK's payout ratio is 28.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

OZK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Raymond James Financial upgraded Bank OZK from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Bank OZK from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bank OZK has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $54.25.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK provides various retail and commercial banking services for individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers deposit services, including non-interest bearing checking, interest bearing transaction, business sweep, savings, money market, individual retirement, and other accounts, as well as time and reciprocal deposits.