BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen has upgraded BankUnited from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a recent report.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on BankUnited, with price targets ranging from $34.00 to $43.00, reflecting varied outlooks on the stock.
• BankUnited reported earnings of $0.91 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and indicating strong financial performance.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also commented on BKU. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of BankUnited from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating and a $39.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $41.55.

BankUnited Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BKU traded down $0.46 on Friday, hitting $37.71. 618,361 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 794,975. BankUnited has a 1-year low of $28.21 and a 1-year high of $44.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $35.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 1.29.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.12. BankUnited had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The business had revenue of $273.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $267.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BankUnited

In other BankUnited news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,942 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.81, for a total transaction of $152,989.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 39,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,521,080.33. The trade was a 9.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John N. Digiacomo sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.43, for a total transaction of $34,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $499,785.88. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 31,218 shares of company stock worth $1,087,547. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in BankUnited during the second quarter worth approximately $2,268,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in BankUnited by 1.5% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 108,539 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in BankUnited by 73.8% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 363,803 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $12,948,000 after purchasing an additional 154,460 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in BankUnited by 5.7% during the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 33,406 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in BankUnited by 32.3% during the second quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 1,111 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company's stock.

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.