BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.40.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Compass Point lifted their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of BankUnited from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

BankUnited Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of BankUnited stock opened at $37.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 1.37. BankUnited has a 52-week low of $24.34 and a 52-week high of $44.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $39.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.35.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 8.48%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. BankUnited’s payout ratio is presently 37.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BankUnited

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 4th quarter worth $605,000. GTS Securities LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 4th quarter worth $261,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in BankUnited by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 188,016 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,177,000 after acquiring an additional 31,416 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in BankUnited by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 351,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,402,000 after acquiring an additional 45,648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in BankUnited by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 16,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 4,600 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.