Sowell Financial Services LLC Buys New Holdings in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 8,207 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $357,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in OZK. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Bank OZK by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $961,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Bank OZK by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 46,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Bank OZK by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, Horrell Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Bank OZK by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 106,878 shares of the company's stock worth $4,759,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank OZK Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:OZK traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $46.40. 593,983 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,236,691. The stock has a market cap of $5.26 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61 and a beta of 0.85. Bank OZK has a twelve month low of $35.71 and a twelve month high of $53.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $44.29 and a 200 day moving average of $45.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The company reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.05. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.66% and a return on equity of 13.46%. The firm had revenue of $409.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $403.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.51 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th were paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. This is an increase from Bank OZK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 14th. Bank OZK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

OZK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Bank OZK from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stephens reduced their target price on Bank OZK from $59.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Bank OZK from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.86.

Bank OZK Company Profile

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.