Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Banner (NASDAQ:BANRFree Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on BANR. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Banner from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Banner in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Banner from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Banner from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banner currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $72.75.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on BANR

Banner Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ BANR opened at $70.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Banner has a 52 week low of $57.05 and a 52 week high of $72.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $66.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.23.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANRGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $172.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.54 million. Banner had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 10.72%. On average, analysts predict that Banner will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. Banner’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banner

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Banner by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 17,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Banner by 31.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Banner by 0.4% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 41,634 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,727,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Banner by 8.9% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,154 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Banner by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. 87.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Banner

(Get Free Report)

Banner Corporation, through its principal subsidiary Banner Bank, operates as a regional commercial bank headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 2000 as a bank holding company, Banner traces its origins to community banking roots in Eastern Washington dating back to the late 19th century. Over the past two decades, the company has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong presence throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services for individual and business clients.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Banner (NASDAQ:BANR)

Receive News & Ratings for Banner Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banner and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.