Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Purchases New Shares in Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 20,318 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,296,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.06% of Banner at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BANR. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter worth $209,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter valued at about $467,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter worth about $6,075,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Banner by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP grew its holdings in shares of Banner by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 40,031 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,673,000 after purchasing an additional 10,744 shares during the period. 87.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BANR. Wall Street Zen upgraded Banner from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 target price (down from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Banner from $75.00 to $73.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on Banner from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.17.

Banner Stock Performance

NASDAQ BANR traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $61.52. The company had a trading volume of 38,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 221,934. Banner Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $51.14 and a fifty-two week high of $78.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.58. The firm has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.93.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $162.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.96 million. Banner had a return on equity of 10.06% and a net margin of 21.15%. Equities analysts predict that Banner Corporation will post 5.23 EPS for the current year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.57%.

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.