BNP Paribas Financial Markets Grows Stock Holdings in Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) by 413.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 483,363 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 389,148 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.33% of Zions Bancorporation, National Association worth $26,222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 541 shares of the bank’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 128.1% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 853 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 120.8% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 901 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Natixis acquired a new stake in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association in the fourth quarter worth approximately $102,000. 76.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Zions Bancorporation, National Association

In related news, EVP Jennifer Anne Smith sold 22,673 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.47, for a total transaction of $1,280,344.31. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,313 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,655,305.11. This trade represents a 43.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Dan Stephens sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.71, for a total transaction of $557,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 45,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,554,136.37. This represents a 17.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,029 shares of company stock worth $1,855,321. 2.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Trading Up 3.0 %

Zions Bancorporation, National Association stock opened at $46.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $46.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.00. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a 52-week low of $39.32 and a 52-week high of $63.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.45, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $795.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $792.49 million. Zions Bancorporation, National Association had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 13.65%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Zions Bancorporation, National Association will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, February 24th that permits the company to buyback $40.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the bank to buy up to 0.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Zions Bancorporation, National Association’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZION has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $63.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Argus upgraded shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $58.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $65.00 to $58.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zions Bancorporation, National Association currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.76.

About Zions Bancorporation, National Association

Zions Bancorporation, National Association provides various banking products and related services primarily in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It operates through Zions Bank, California Bank & Trust, Amegy Bank, National Bank of Arizona, Nevada State Bank, Vectra Bank Colorado, and The Commerce Bank of Washington segments.