Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Brokerages

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.14.

OZK has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Bank OZK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Bank OZK from $52.00 to $50.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Zacks Research raised Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock.

Bank OZK Stock Performance

OZK opened at $51.79 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.53. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $42.37 and a 1-year high of $53.39. The firm has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.57 and a beta of 0.90.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $391.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.83 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 11.56% and a net margin of 24.70%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.59 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Bank OZK will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.89%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 68.8% in the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Bank OZK by 1,307.5% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 746 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Bank OZK during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK in the third quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Miller Global Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the 3rd quarter valued at $66,000. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) is a regional financial institution headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The company provides banking services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including deposit accounts, commercial and consumer loans, mortgage lending, treasury management and online and mobile banking.

Bank OZK also operates specialized lending businesses, including its Real Estate Specialties Group, which provides financing for commercial real estate development and other complex real estate projects.