BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BankUnited’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.25 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.07 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.14 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.26 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

BKU has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on BankUnited from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Raymond James Financial set a $55.00 price target on shares of BankUnited in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Hovde Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on BankUnited from $42.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of BankUnited from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BankUnited currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.45.

BankUnited Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE BKU opened at $48.75 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 1.31. BankUnited has a 52-week low of $28.21 and a 52-week high of $52.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $46.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.71.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $288.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $279.76 million. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.09% and a net margin of 14.14%.During the same period last year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 9th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sanjiv Sobti sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.88, for a total transaction of $254,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,816 shares in the company, valued at $957,358.08. The trade was a 20.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BankUnited

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKU. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BankUnited in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in BankUnited in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in BankUnited during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 158.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about BankUnited

Here are the key news stories impacting BankUnited this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised Q1 2027, Q3 2026 and Q4 2026 estimates significantly (examples: Q1 2027 to $1.10 from $0.88; Q4 2026 to $1.22 from $0.89), signaling better-than-expected near‑term profitability and helping lift sentiment. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also bumped FY2026 and FY2027 EPS views (FY2026 to $4.25 from $3.44; FY2027 to $4.26 from $3.82) and raised multi‑year outlook into FY2028, implying sustained earnings growth rather than a one‑quarter blip. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a feature evaluating BankUnited as a high‑growth dividend stock, drawing attention to its payout potential combined with the upgraded earnings trajectory — a catalyst for income‑focused and total‑return investors. Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?

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.