BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $52.4545.

Several brokerages have recently commented on BKU. Barclays increased their price target on shares of BankUnited from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on BankUnited from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on BankUnited from $42.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Raymond James Financial set a $55.00 price target on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th.

BankUnited Price Performance

BKU stock opened at $50.95 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $46.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.32. BankUnited has a 52-week low of $28.21 and a 52-week high of $52.11. The company has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a PE ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $288.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $279.76 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. Analysts predict that BankUnited will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 9th. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total value of $174,703.98. Following the sale, the insider owned 35,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BankUnited

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in BankUnited by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 18,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 2,394 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 44,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the first quarter valued at about $9,100,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in BankUnited in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in BankUnited by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 22,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $787,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BankUnited Company 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.