Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.25.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on OZK shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Bank OZK from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $53.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, July 6th.

Institutional Trading of Bank OZK

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ruffer LLP acquired a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,137,000. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 531,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,475,000 after purchasing an additional 63,051 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Bank OZK by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 284,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,371,000 after purchasing an additional 50,258 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Bank OZK by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 285,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,574,000 after purchasing an additional 51,171 shares during the period. Finally, Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Bank OZK by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,869,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,031,000 after purchasing an additional 50,985 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank OZK Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:OZK opened at $51.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.38 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $42.37 and a 12-month high of $53.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.18.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $424.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $422.62 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.27% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. Analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a boost from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 13th. Bank OZK’s payout ratio is 31.27%.

Bank OZK declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, June 29th that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.