Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Sells 107,474 Shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 17.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 512,983 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 107,474 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 1.49% of Banner worth $34,252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Banner by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,701,653 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $113,619,000 after purchasing an additional 373,037 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Banner by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,379,521 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $92,111,000 after acquiring an additional 49,457 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Banner by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 738,356 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $49,300,000 after acquiring an additional 38,454 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Banner by 10,213.3% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 634,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,371,000 after acquiring an additional 628,426 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Banner by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 487,951 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,580,000 after acquiring an additional 70,544 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.33% of the company's stock.

Banner Trading Down 0.0%

BANR opened at $64.76 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $62.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.02. The company has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.90. Banner Co. has a 52 week low of $44.59 and a 52 week high of $78.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $159.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business posted $1.22 EPS. Analysts forecast that Banner Co. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective (down previously from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 price target 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 for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com lowered Banner from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded Banner from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.83.

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.

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