Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Sell”

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on OZK. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $61.00 price objective on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $53.00 to $52.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research cut Bank OZK from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.88.

Bank OZK Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ OZK opened at $47.88 on Friday. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $42.37 and a 1-year high of $53.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $50.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 7.91 and a beta of 0.88.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $430.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $436.42 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 24.95% and a return on equity of 11.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Bank OZK will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 13th. This is an increase from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.74%.

Bank OZK announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, June 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $200.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank OZK

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of OZK. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 1,307.5% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 746 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in shares of Bank OZK in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 218.9% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 1,376.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Bank OZK by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank OZK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $1.44 from $1.43, FY2026 EPS to $5.82 from $5.81, Q3 2027 EPS to $1.61 from $1.54, and Q1 2028 EPS to $1.73 from $1.67. These increases suggest somewhat better expected earnings in several periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: The $5.82 FY2026 forecast remains close to the broader consensus estimate of $5.83. However, the estimate changes are analyst revisions rather than new company guidance, so their immediate effect may be limited.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks added Bank OZK to its Rank #5 “Strong Sell” list, a prominent negative signal that may weigh on investor sentiment. New Strong Sell Stocks for September 17th
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its estimates for Q1 2027 EPS to $1.44 from $1.47, Q2 2027 EPS to $1.48 from $1.56, Q4 2027 EPS to $1.55 from $1.60, FY2027 EPS to $6.09 from $6.18, Q2 2028 EPS to $1.74 from $2.01, and FY2028 EPS to $7.32 from $7.78. The broad downward revisions point to weaker expected earnings growth beyond 2026.

Bank OZK Company Profile

Bank OZK is a regional financial institution headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The company provides banking services to individuals, businesses and institutions through a network of banking offices concentrated in the Southeastern United States and select markets, including New York and California.

Its products and services include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential and commercial real estate loans, consumer lending, commercial and industrial financing, treasury management and other business banking solutions.