Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Takes $241,000 Position in Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,451 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ZION. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association in the 4th quarter valued at $257,000. Delta Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association in the 4th quarter valued at $242,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association in the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,026 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 534 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 244.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,405 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after buying an additional 20,167 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.84% of the company’s stock.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:ZION opened at $49.22 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $46.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a one year low of $39.32 and a one year high of $63.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 9.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.88.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. Zions Bancorporation, National Association had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The firm had revenue of $795.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $792.49 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Zions Bancorporation, National Association will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.49%. Zions Bancorporation, National Association’s payout ratio is 33.59%.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, February 24th that permits the company to repurchase $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the bank to purchase up to 0.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZION has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $58.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $58.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jennifer Anne Smith sold 22,673 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.47, for a total value of $1,280,344.31. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,655,305.11. This represents a 43.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Company Profile

Zions Bancorporation, National Association provides various banking products and related services primarily in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It operates through Zions Bank, California Bank & Trust, Amegy Bank, National Bank of Arizona, Nevada State Bank, Vectra Bank Colorado, and The Commerce Bank of Washington segments.