Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.75.

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Banner from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Banner from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen cut Banner from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings raised Banner from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Banner in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Banner Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BANR opened at $70.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.82. Banner has a 52 week low of $57.05 and a 52 week high of $74.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $70.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.90.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $172.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.54 million. Banner had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 23.55%. Research analysts predict that Banner will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Banner’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Banner by 54.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,128 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,412,000 after acquiring an additional 7,828 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Banner by 19.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 29,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 4,877 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Banner by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,302,000 after acquiring an additional 891 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Banner in the 1st quarter worth approximately $248,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Banner by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 116,471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,427,000 after purchasing an additional 6,059 shares in the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banner Company Profile

Banner Corporation, through its principal subsidiary Banner Bank, operates as a regional commercial bank headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 2000 as a bank holding company, Banner traces its origins to community banking roots in Eastern Washington dating back to the late 19th century. Over the past two decades, the company has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong presence throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services for individual and business clients.