Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.20.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banner

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Banner during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Banner by 167.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Banner by 816.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Banner by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.33% of the company’s stock.

Banner Stock Performance

Shares of BANR stock opened at $58.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.86. Banner has a 52 week low of $42.00 and a 52 week high of $78.05. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $66.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.18. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 1.07.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. On average, analysts expect that Banner will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. Banner’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.34%.

Banner Company Profile

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities in the United States. It accepts various deposit instruments, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as treasury management services and retirement savings plans.