Legato Capital Management LLC Invests $1.14 Million in Bank OZK $OZK

Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 24,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,136,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter worth about $27,000. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter worth about $27,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK Stock Performance

Bank OZK stock opened at $48.14 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Bank OZK has a 12 month low of $42.37 and a 12 month high of $53.66. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.98. The firm has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of 7.84 and a beta of 0.91.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.02). Bank OZK had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 25.27%.The company had revenue of $424.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $422.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th were given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 13th. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Bank OZK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Bank OZK from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Bank OZK from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.89.

About Bank OZK

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.