Hsbc Holdings PLC Boosts Stake in Bank OZK $OZK

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 234.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 91,598 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 64,196 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Bank OZK were worth $4,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Bank OZK by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $857,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 11,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $539,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Bank OZK by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 48,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,254,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank OZK by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of OZK opened at $52.11 on Friday. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $42.37 and a 12-month high of $53.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.49 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $424.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $422.62 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 25.27%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current year.

Bank OZK Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 13th. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on OZK shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Bank OZK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.89.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank’s core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.