Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOB) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from five analysts, with an average price target of $43.75 over the next 12 months.
• Institutional investors have significantly increased their stakes in Live Oak Bancshares, with 63.95% of the company's stock now owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• The company recently announced a $0.03 per share dividend, representing a yield of 32.0%, with a payout ratio currently at 9.84%.

Shares of Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOB - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.75.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LOB. Cowen assumed coverage on Live Oak Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Live Oak Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Live Oak Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $37.00 to $43.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 19th.

Institutional Trading of Live Oak Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Live Oak Bancshares by 4,595.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,438 shares of the bank's stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 9,237 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Live Oak Bancshares by 100.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 38,802 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,034,000 after buying an additional 19,457 shares in the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC boosted its position in Live Oak Bancshares by 20.2% during the first quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 155,471 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,145,000 after purchasing an additional 26,085 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Live Oak Bancshares by 16.4% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 145,117 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,869,000 after purchasing an additional 20,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Live Oak Bancshares during the first quarter valued at about $817,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.95% of the company's stock.

Live Oak Bancshares Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of Live Oak Bancshares stock traded up $0.74 on Thursday, hitting $36.54. The stock had a trading volume of 52,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,886. The stock has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19 and a beta of 1.75. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $34.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.17. Live Oak Bancshares has a one year low of $22.68 and a one year high of $50.30.

Live Oak Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a sep 25 dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 32.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. Live Oak Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.84%.

Live Oak Bancshares Company Profile

Live Oak Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Live Oak Banking Company that provides various banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Banking and Fintech. The company accepts various deposit products, including noninterest-bearing demand, as well as interest-bearing checking, money market, savings, and time deposits.

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