Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) Shares Bought by Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION - Free Report) by 96.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 116,661 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 57,293 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Zions Bancorporation, National Association worth $6,329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ZION. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,037,323 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,032,775,000 after buying an additional 285,588 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,807,221 shares of the bank's stock worth $369,295,000 after buying an additional 175,656 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,882,983 shares of the bank's stock worth $264,902,000 after buying an additional 194,995 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,698,530 shares of the bank's stock worth $146,396,000 after buying an additional 14,070 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,267,568 shares of the bank's stock worth $123,016,000 after purchasing an additional 390,601 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.84% of the company's stock.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ZION traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $49.22. The stock had a trading volume of 759,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,580,961. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.94, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.88. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a twelve month low of $39.32 and a twelve month high of $63.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.87.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.04. Zions Bancorporation, National Association had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The company had revenue of $795.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $792.49 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Zions Bancorporation, National Association will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, February 24th that permits the company to repurchase $40.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the bank to purchase up to 0.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. Zions Bancorporation, National Association's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zions Bancorporation, National Association

In related news, EVP Jennifer Anne Smith sold 22,673 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.47, for a total transaction of $1,280,344.31. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,655,305.11. This represents a 43.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $58.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $65.00 to $58.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Argus upgraded Zions Bancorporation, National Association from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $58.00 to $47.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $58.47.

About Zions Bancorporation, National Association

Zions Bancorporation, National Association provides various banking products and related services primarily in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It operates through Zions Bank, California Bank & Trust, Amegy Bank, National Bank of Arizona, Nevada State Bank, Vectra Bank Colorado, and The Commerce Bank of Washington segments.