Ameris Bancorp $ABCB Shares Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) by 17.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 86,422 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 13,129 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Ameris Bancorp were worth $6,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 9.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 29,288 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,687,000 after acquiring an additional 2,546 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Ameris Bancorp by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 39,181 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,256,000 after purchasing an additional 1,703 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 36.7% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,651 shares of the bank’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 3,129 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Ameris Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth about $243,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Ameris Bancorp by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 187,024 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,767,000 after purchasing an additional 13,633 shares during the period. 91.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of Ameris Bancorp stock opened at $80.33 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.42 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Ameris Bancorp has a 52 week low of $48.27 and a 52 week high of $83.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $77.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.54.

Ameris Bancorp announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Monday, October 20th that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the bank to reacquire up to 4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Ameris Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ameris Bancorp’s payout ratio is 13.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ABCB. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Truist Financial set a $83.00 price target on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research note on Friday, January 9th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Ameris Bancorp from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $84.00 target price on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.83.

Ameris Bancorp Company Profile

Ameris Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its principal subsidiary, Ameris Bank, the company offers a broad range of commercial and retail banking services to individuals, small businesses, middle market companies and agricultural customers. Its core business lines encompass deposit services, lending solutions, treasury management, mortgage origination and servicing, insurance products and wealth management.

Ameris Bancorp operates a network of branches and loan production offices across the southeastern United States, including Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.