Vest Financial LLC Boosts Stock Position in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Free Report) by 29.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,990 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,457 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Bank OZK worth $3,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in Bank OZK by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 7,102,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,281,000 after acquiring an additional 1,149,880 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,130,006 shares of the company's stock worth $183,909,000 after buying an additional 188,575 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,945,480 shares of the company's stock worth $131,162,000 after buying an additional 686,775 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,811,354 shares of the company's stock worth $125,190,000 after buying an additional 314,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,176,997 shares of the company's stock worth $96,942,000 after buying an additional 238,810 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank OZK Stock Up 3.1%

NASDAQ:OZK opened at $45.88 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.47 and a beta of 0.85. Bank OZK has a one year low of $35.71 and a one year high of $53.64. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $409.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $403.05 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 25.83%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors 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 3.75%. This is an increase from Bank OZK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 14th. Bank OZK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on OZK shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Bank OZK from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Bank OZK from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Bank OZK from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Stephens lowered their price target 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.86.

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.

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