Two Sigma Investments LP Lowers Stock Position in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Two Sigma Investments LP lessened its holdings in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 62.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,620 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 44,038 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned 0.08% of Banner worth $1,777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Banner in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Banner by 167.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Banner by 816.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in Banner by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Banner by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banner from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Banner from $75.00 to $73.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Janney Montgomery Scott raised Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 target price (down from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.83.

Banner Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BANR traded up $0.04 on Thursday, reaching $61.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 61,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 214,617. Banner Co. has a 52-week low of $44.90 and a 52-week high of $78.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 0.90. The stock's 50-day moving average is $61.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $159.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $159.72 million. Banner had a return on equity of 10.03% and a net margin of 20.28%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 29th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.72%.

Banner Profile

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.