BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.5455.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Susquehanna upgraded shares of BankUnited to a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of BankUnited from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Raymond James Financial set a $55.00 price target on shares of BankUnited in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of BankUnited from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total transaction of $174,703.98. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 35,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Sanjiv Sobti sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.88, for a total value of $254,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $957,358.08. This trade represents a 20.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 11,953 shares of company stock valued at $591,492 over the last ninety days. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in BankUnited during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 158.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. 99.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BankUnited Price Performance

Shares of BKU opened at $44.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. BankUnited has a fifty-two week low of $28.21 and a fifty-two week high of $52.11. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.46.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.09% and a net margin of 14.14%.The company had revenue of $260.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $279.76 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. Analysts anticipate that BankUnited will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This is an increase from BankUnited’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.29%.

About BankUnited

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.