Ritholtz Wealth Management Boosts Holdings in Bank of America Corporation $BAC

Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 231,018 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,819 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Bank of America were worth $12,706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BAC. Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Steph & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Bank of America by 224.3% during the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the third quarter worth about $31,000. 70.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank of America Price Performance

BAC opened at $52.56 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. Bank of America Corporation has a 1 year low of $34.81 and a 1 year high of $57.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $375.56 billion, a PE ratio of 13.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.23.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.02. Bank of America had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 11.07%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.73 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Bank of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Thomas M. Scrivener sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total value of $2,491,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 227,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,357,614.86. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider James P. Demare sold 83,832 shares of Bank of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $4,191,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 307,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,362,000. This trade represents a 21.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 227,832 shares of company stock valued at $11,094,960. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Bank of America

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank of America this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KBW says largest banks now trade at higher multiples than smaller banks, a relative-valuation tailwind for big-cap lenders like BAC as investors re-rate scale and franchise advantages. Largest banks trade at higher multiples than smaller banks now, says KBW’s Chris McGratty
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have revised earnings forecasts ahead of BAC’s Q1 report (consensus ~ $1.01/sh), which raises expectations that a modest beat could lift the stock on the print. Bank of America Earnings Are Imminent; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst raised FY2026 EPS forecasts for BAC, signaling some upward revision risk to estimates that could support the stock if confirmed by results. FY2026 EPS Forecast for Bank of America Increased by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: BAC is highlighted for OCIO leadership and involvement in potential large AI data-center financing (Oracle project), which points to meaningful investment-banking/credit revenue opportunities. Bank Of America’s OCIO Leadership And AI Financing Set Against Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: BofA research upgraded its semiconductor view and flagged AI “picks-and-shovels” (Cadence, Synopsys) — a sign of research strength that indirectly supports fee businesses but doesn’t move BAC’s core banking metrics. Bank of America Wants You to Buy the Dip in These 2 Picks-and-Shovels AI Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: BofA reiterates a view that the Fed is likely to cut rates this year — a macro forecast that has mixed implications for bank net interest margins and stock multiple direction. BofA explains why Fed is likely to deliver rate cuts this year
• Negative Sentiment: UBS trimmed its BAC price target to $62, signaling reduced upside from that shop and contributing to downward pressure on the stock. UBS Group Cuts Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) Price Target to $62.00
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan also lowered its BAC price target to $57.50, adding to analyst-driven headwinds into the earnings print. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) Price Target to $57.50

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BAC shares. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price target on shares of Bank of America from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Bank of America from $61.50 to $57.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Bank of America from $67.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Bank of America from $63.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Bank of America from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Bank of America has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.10.

Bank of America Profile

Bank of America Corporation is a multinational financial services company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It provides a broad array of banking, investment, asset management and related financial and risk management products and services to individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, governments and institutional investors. The firm operates through consumer banking, global wealth and investment management, global banking and markets businesses, offering capabilities across lending, deposits, payments, advisory and capital markets.

Its consumer-facing offerings include checking and savings accounts, mortgages, home equity lending, auto loans, credit cards and small business banking, supported by a nationwide branch network and digital channels.