Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 152,183 Shares of Bank OZK $OZK

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its position by 152,183 shares (a 1.4% reduction) to 11,082,496 shares, leaving it with roughly 9.91% of Bank OZK worth about $510 million; institutional investors own ~86.18% of the stock.
• Bank OZK reported quarterly EPS of $1.44, missing estimates by $0.02, while revenue of $424.32 million slightly exceeded expectations.
• The bank pays a quarterly dividend of $0.47 (annualized $1.88, ~3.9% yield), trades at a PE of 7.8 with a $5.36 billion market cap, and carries a consensus analyst rating of Hold with a $56.89 target.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,082,496 shares of the company's stock after selling 152,183 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.91% of Bank OZK worth $510,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in OZK. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,301,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,026,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Bank OZK by 21.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 285,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,574,000 after buying an additional 51,171 shares during the period. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter valued at $2,141,000. Finally, Villanova Investment Management Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 37.1% during the third quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 125,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,412,000 after purchasing an additional 34,049 shares during the period. 86.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Bank OZK Stock Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:OZK opened at $47.90 on Tuesday. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $42.37 and a 1-year high of $53.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $46.59 and a 200 day moving average of $46.79. The firm has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 7.80 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $424.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $422.62 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 25.27%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Bank OZK will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 13th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Bank OZK's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

OZK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $64.00 to $62.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Bank OZK from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bank OZK presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $56.89.

Bank OZK Profile

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank's core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.

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