Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.00.

OZK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Bank OZK from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Bank OZK from $53.00 to $52.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Bank OZK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank OZK

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of OZK. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. BOKF NA purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter worth $27,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 100.5% during the fourth quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 766 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Bank OZK during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Bank OZK by 111.2% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the period. 86.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank OZK Price Performance

Shares of OZK stock opened at $50.38 on Tuesday. Bank OZK has a fifty-two week low of $42.37 and a fifty-two week high of $53.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.33 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.31.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $430.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $436.42 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 24.95% and a return on equity of 11.87%. Bank OZK’s revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Bank OZK will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK announced that its board has approved a share buyback 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 usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 13th were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 13th. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.74%.

Bank OZK Company Profile

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.