Bank OZK (OZK) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

by · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK – Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $54.57.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 27th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $61.00 price target on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th.

View Our Latest Report on Bank OZK

Institutional Trading of Bank OZK

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in Bank OZK by 93.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 4,684 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 8,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 68.8% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Bank OZK by 21.4% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 212,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,745,000 after purchasing an additional 37,333 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK Trading Down 1.0%

NASDAQ OZK opened at $44.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.34 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $48.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. Bank OZK has a 52 week low of $42.37 and a 52 week high of $53.39.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $430.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $436.42 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 11.87% and a net margin of 24.95%. The business’s revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bank OZK will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.74%.

Bank OZK declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Monday, June 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

About Bank OZK

(Get Free Report)

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) is a regional financial institution headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The bank provides banking and financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions through a network of branches and digital banking channels.

Its products and services include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and commercial loans, residential mortgages, treasury management, online and mobile banking, and wealth management. Bank OZK also provides specialized lending through its Real Estate Specialties Group, which focuses on commercial real estate financing for projects in markets across the United States.

The company traces its origins to 1903, when it was founded as a community bank in Jasper, Arkansas.

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