Analysts Set BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) PT at $30.33

Shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) have earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.89.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of BankUnited from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Barclays started coverage on shares of BankUnited in a report on Friday, March 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $29.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of BankUnited from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 18th.

BankUnited Stock Performance

NYSE:BKU opened at $26.92 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.82. BankUnited has a fifty-two week low of $15.83 and a fifty-two week high of $34.22.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.42). BankUnited had a net margin of 9.19% and a return on equity of 8.38%. The business had revenue of $500.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $244.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that BankUnited will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

BankUnited Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. This is a boost from BankUnited’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio is 45.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BankUnited news, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 2,285 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.18, for a total transaction of $62,106.30. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $319,365. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKU. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in BankUnited by 347.0% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 2,762 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in BankUnited by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 80,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,547,000 after buying an additional 5,716 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in BankUnited by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 18,775 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $826,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its stake in BankUnited by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 33,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,489,000 after buying an additional 4,348 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in BankUnited by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 44,612 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,961,000 after buying an additional 14,213 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

BankUnited Company Profile

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.