Sapience Investments LLC Has $2.92 Million Stake in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB)

Sapience Investments LLC trimmed its position in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB - Free Report) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 46,685 shares of the bank's stock after selling 7,680 shares during the period. Ameris Bancorp makes up about 1.7% of Sapience Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Sapience Investments LLC owned 0.07% of Ameris Bancorp worth $2,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABCB. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Ameris Bancorp by 107.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 140,001 shares of the bank's stock worth $8,735,000 after buying an additional 72,599 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Ameris Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $98,000. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ameris Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $352,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ameris Bancorp by 2,768.5% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 68,384 shares of the bank's stock worth $4,292,000 after buying an additional 66,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Oklahoma bought a new stake in Ameris Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $600,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:ABCB traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $62.88. 223,021 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 401,443. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $57.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.41. The firm has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.91. Ameris Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $45.89 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The bank reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $285.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $276.06 million. Ameris Bancorp had a net margin of 21.46% and a return on equity of 9.57%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ameris Bancorp will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameris Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Ameris Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABCB has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Ameris Bancorp from $71.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $74.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler Companies boosted their target price on shares of Ameris Bancorp to $74.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameris Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $71.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameris Bancorp

In other Ameris Bancorp news, insider Douglas D. Strange bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $56.95 per share, with a total value of $56,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,105,000.85. This represents a 5.43% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.40% of the company's stock.

About Ameris Bancorp

Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through five segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, SBA Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, regular interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts.