Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:LOB) Receives $44.20 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:LOB) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.20.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Live Oak Bancshares from $53.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Live Oak Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Live Oak Bancshares in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Live Oak Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 23rd.

Live Oak Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOB opened at $32.61 on Friday. Live Oak Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.68 and a 52 week high of $42.89. The company’s fifty day moving average is $37.90 and its 200-day moving average is $35.62. The company has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 1.97.

Live Oak Bancshares (NYSE:LOB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.39. Live Oak Bancshares had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The business had revenue of $161.86 million during the quarter.

Live Oak Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. Live Oak Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.41%.

Insider Transactions at Live Oak Bancshares

In other Live Oak Bancshares news, insider Courtney Spencer sold 9,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.01, for a total transaction of $378,397.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $981,491.60. The trade was a 27.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Gregory W. Seward sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.70, for a total transaction of $110,100.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 113,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,176,349.90. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 17,412 shares of company stock valued at $660,862 in the last three months. Company insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Live Oak Bancshares by 60.1% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 512 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Live Oak Bancshares by 157.4% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Live Oak Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Live Oak Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Live Oak Bancshares by 138.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,850 shares in the last quarter. 63.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Live Oak Bancshares

Live Oak Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, and operates through its subsidiary Live Oak Banking Company. Founded in 2008, the company leverages a branchless, technology-driven platform to deliver specialty lending and deposit products across the United States. Live Oak Bancshares completed its initial public offering in February 2018 and trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol LOB.

The company’s primary focus is on originating and servicing commercial loans for small businesses in select industry verticals.