BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) had its target price raised by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $48.00 to $53.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 3.44% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on BKU. Barclays reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of BankUnited in a report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 price objective on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on BankUnited from $42.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Hovde Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BankUnited presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.55.

BankUnited Stock Performance

Shares of BKU stock traded up $0.89 during trading on Thursday, reaching $51.24. 203,539 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 903,257. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $44.38 and its 200 day moving average is $40.40. The company has a market capitalization of $3.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.30. BankUnited has a 1 year low of $28.21 and a 1 year high of $52.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $288.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $279.76 million. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.18% and a net margin of 13.98%.During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BankUnited

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKU. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of BankUnited in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in BankUnited during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in BankUnited by 158.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in shares of BankUnited by 32.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 1,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of BankUnited by 202.0% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

BankUnited News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BankUnited this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — BKU reported $0.94 EPS vs. $0.85 expected and revenue of $288.2M (vs. ~$279.8M consensus); company highlighted 6 bps NIM expansion, $69M net income, strong ROE and margin improvement. This is the primary catalyst lifting the stock. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Share buyback — management authorized an additional $200M repurchase program, which reduces share count risk and supports EPS. This amplifies the positive reaction to results. Business Wire
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: deposit & loan growth — company reported $485M growth in non?interest?bearing deposits and $769M core loan growth, supporting asset/liability momentum and NII prospects. Analysts and investors view this as durable top-line support. Business Wire
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target uplift — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target from $42 to $55 (while retaining a “market perform” rating), which signals higher modelled fair value and supports upside expectations. Benzinga / TickerReport
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary & guidance — company is targeting ~6% core loan growth and highlighted continued NII/NIM expansion; details from the call give color but no material change to long?term guidance. Earnings Call Transcript (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of the quarter — multiple transcripts and deep dives (Seeking Alpha, InsiderMonkey, Zacks, Yahoo) provide the full detail for investors; useful for modeling but largely confirm the headline beat. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst stance still cautious — despite the higher price target, KBW left a “market perform” rating. That tempering of conviction could limit further analyst-driven momentum until results prove sustainable. Benzinga

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank’s lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.