SG Americas Securities LLC Invests $3.45 Million in BankUnited, Inc. $BKU

SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 77,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,448,000. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.10% of BankUnited as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKU. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the first quarter worth $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the third quarter worth $34,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of BankUnited by 158.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 4,293.5% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on BKU shares. Raymond James Financial set a $55.00 price target on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of BankUnited from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of BankUnited from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

BankUnited Stock Performance

Shares of BankUnited stock opened at $45.60 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $46.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.59. The firm has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.26. BankUnited, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.21 and a 12 month high of $52.11.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. BankUnited had a net margin of 14.14% and a return on equity of 9.09%. The company had revenue of $260.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $279.76 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that BankUnited, Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a boost from BankUnited’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.03%.

Insider Transactions at BankUnited

In other news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total transaction of $174,703.98. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,447 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total transaction of $162,388.17. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,765. The trade was a 23.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 11,953 shares of company stock valued at $591,492. Company insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

BankUnited 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.