Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $57.2222.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $62.00 target price on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Bank OZK Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of OZK stock opened at $44.07 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $35.71 and a 12-month high of $53.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.14 and a beta of 0.93. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $47.68 and its 200 day moving average is $47.91.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.03). Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.50% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The company had revenue of $436.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $434.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Bank OZK’s payout ratio is presently 29.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank OZK

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Bank OZK by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $857,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Bank OZK by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 11,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management raised its stake in Bank OZK by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 48,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,254,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank’s core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.