Guggenheim Capital LLC Raises Holdings in UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF)

Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its stake in UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF - Free Report) by 77.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,827 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 7,759 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in UMB Financial were worth $2,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of UMB Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,190,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in UMB Financial by 46.9% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 13,105 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,479,000 after purchasing an additional 4,182 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in UMB Financial by 403.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 866,848 shares of the bank's stock valued at $91,114,000 after purchasing an additional 694,751 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UMB Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $305,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of UMB Financial by 107.8% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 5,545 shares of the bank's stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 2,877 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UMBF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America started coverage on shares of UMB Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of UMB Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on UMB Financial from $139.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on UMB Financial from $156.00 to $146.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $128.00 price target on shares of UMB Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.13.

UMB Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UMBF traded down $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $96.01. 128,148 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 525,074. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $99.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. UMB Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $76.00 and a 12 month high of $129.94.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.24. UMB Financial had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 15.76%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that UMB Financial Co. will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current year.

UMB Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. UMB Financial's payout ratio is 17.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO J Mariner Kemper sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.61, for a total value of $380,135.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 334,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,313,427.67. This represents a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kevin Charles Gallagher sold 527 shares of UMB Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.13, for a total transaction of $60,146.51. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,010 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,484,831.30. The trade was a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 5.45% of the company's stock.

About UMB Financial

UMB Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company that provides banking services and asset servicing in the United States and internationally. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial loans and credit card; commercial real estate financing; letters of credit; loan syndication, and consultative service; various business solutions including asset-based lending, mezzanine debt, and minority equity investment; and treasury management service, such as depository service, account reconciliation, cash management tool, accounts payable and receivable solution, electronic fund transfer and automated payment, controlled disbursement, lockbox service, and remote deposit capture service.