331,287 Shares in BankUnited, Inc. $BKU Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 331,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $16,051,000. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.47% of BankUnited at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKU. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in BankUnited by 158.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BankUnited Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE BKU opened at $46.48 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.96. The stock has a market cap of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. BankUnited, Inc. has a 52-week low of $35.10 and a 52-week high of $52.11.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.00 by ($0.03). BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.13% and a net margin of 14.76%.The firm had revenue of $284.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $290.33 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that BankUnited, Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. BankUnited’s payout ratio is presently 36.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.67, for a total transaction of $194,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 40,502 shares in the company, valued at $1,971,232.34. This represents a 8.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John N. Digiacomo sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total transaction of $45,970.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,027 shares in the company, valued at $690,791.19. The trade was a 6.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $384,350 in the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BKU. Citigroup lowered their price target on BankUnited from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of BankUnited from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of BankUnited from $51.00 to $49.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Monday, August 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.64.

BankUnited Profile

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank’s lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.