Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. trimmed its position in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) by 2.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 311 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Banner were worth $586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Banner by 5.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 250,820 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,406,000 after purchasing an additional 13,234 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Banner by 4.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 108,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,891,000 after acquiring an additional 4,824 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Banner by 18.1% in the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 7,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its holdings in Banner by 51.8% during the 1st quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 9,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 3,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Banner by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 17,730 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BANR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Banner from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 25th. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Banner from $58.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Banner in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Banner has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.40.

Insider Transactions at Banner

In other Banner news, Director Roberto R. Herencia acquired 667 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $45.77 per share, with a total value of $30,528.59. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 12,839 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $587,641.03. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Banner Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ BANR opened at $43.46 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $45.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.00. Banner Co. has a one year low of $41.57 and a one year high of $75.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 7.53 and a beta of 1.02.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $150.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.26 million. Banner had a net margin of 28.30% and a return on equity of 14.40%. Analysts expect that Banner Co. will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 1st were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 31st. Banner’s payout ratio is 33.28%.

Banner Profile

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that provide 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.