Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 6,725 Shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,636 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,725 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Bank OZK worth $2,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of OZK. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the 4th quarter worth $53,114,000. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in Bank OZK by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 7,102,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,281,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149,880 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Bank OZK by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,945,480 shares of the company's stock worth $131,162,000 after purchasing an additional 686,775 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Bank OZK during the fourth quarter worth about $14,077,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,811,354 shares of the company's stock worth $125,190,000 after purchasing an additional 314,488 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on OZK. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Bank OZK from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $59.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.86.

Bank OZK Trading Up 3.1%

OZK stock traded up $1.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $45.88. 696,284 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,274,838. The company has a 50-day moving average of $42.89 and a 200-day moving average of $45.65. 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 has a 1 year low of $35.71 and a 1 year high of $53.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.21 billion, a PE ratio of 7.47 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 14th. This is a positive change from Bank OZK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Bank OZK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.20%.

Bank OZK 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.