BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Compass Point upped their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded BankUnited from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $41.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BankUnited has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.18.

BankUnited Price Performance

Shares of BankUnited stock opened at $34.69 on Tuesday. BankUnited has a 12 month low of $24.34 and a 12 month high of $44.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $38.10 and a 200 day moving average of $38.07. The firm has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a PE ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 1.40.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 11.48%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.26 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. BankUnited’s payout ratio is currently 37.66%.

Insider Activity at BankUnited

In related news, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,234 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total value of $113,772.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,250 shares in the company, valued at $430,955. The trade was a 20.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Sanjiv Sobti acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $32.83 per share, for a total transaction of $32,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 21,782 shares in the company, valued at $715,103.06. The trade was a 4.81 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKU. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in BankUnited in the third quarter worth approximately $257,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in BankUnited in the third quarter worth approximately $825,000. LMR Partners LLP acquired a new position in BankUnited during the third quarter worth $557,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its stake in BankUnited by 18.2% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 58,619 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 9,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in BankUnited by 70.0% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 29,879 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 12,301 shares in the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.