BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,570,000 shares, a growth of 14.7% from the January 15th total of 2,240,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 741,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 3.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

BankUnited Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:BKU traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $40.64. 358,279 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 766,983. The firm has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 1.37. BankUnited has a twelve month low of $24.34 and a twelve month high of $44.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $39.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.19.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 11.48%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. BankUnited’s payout ratio is 37.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on BKU. Barclays dropped their price objective on BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Compass Point boosted their target price on BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.18, for a total value of $102,950.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,428,410.66. The trade was a 6.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKU. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in BankUnited in the third quarter valued at about $443,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in BankUnited by 462.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 27,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 22,981 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in BankUnited by 211.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 59,594 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 40,461 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in BankUnited in the third quarter valued at about $347,000. Finally, LMR Partners LLP purchased a new position in BankUnited in the third quarter valued at about $557,000. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.