Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 799 Shares of Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOB)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOB) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,516 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 799 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Live Oak Bancshares were worth $337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Live Oak Bancshares by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,041,706 shares of the bank’s stock worth $80,749,000 after purchasing an additional 880,530 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Live Oak Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $5,277,000. AmeriServ Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in Live Oak Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $4,443,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Live Oak Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $4,056,000. Finally, Southernsun Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Live Oak Bancshares by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 796,720 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,510,000 after acquiring an additional 74,193 shares in the last quarter. 63.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Live Oak Bancshares

In related news, Director William Henderson Cameron acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.92 per share, with a total value of $129,600.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 11,904 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $308,551.68. This trade represents a 72.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 23.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on LOB shares. StockNews.com cut Live Oak Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Live Oak Bancshares from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.25.

Live Oak Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ LOB opened at $27.13 on Friday. Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.68 and a 1-year high of $50.57. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71 and a beta of 1.84.

Live Oak Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Live Oak Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.23%.

Live Oak Bancshares Profile

Live Oak Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Live Oak Banking Company that provides various banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Banking and Fintech. The company accepts various deposit products, including noninterest-bearing demand, as well as interest-bearing checking, money market, savings, and time deposits.