Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Bank OZK’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.44 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.48 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.85 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.49 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.63 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.26 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.69 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $2.03 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.86 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Bank OZK from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $61.00 target price on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen lowered 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 report on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.88.

Bank OZK Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ OZK opened at $52.49 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.70. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $42.37 and a 1-year high of $53.66. The firm has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.68 and a beta of 0.89.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last issued its 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. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 11.87% and a net margin of 24.95%.The firm had revenue of $430.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $436.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Bank OZK will post 5.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Monday, June 29th that authorizes the company to buyback $200.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank OZK

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Bank OZK by 37.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 41,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,792,000 after acquiring an additional 11,310 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Bank OZK by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 46,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 5,717 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Bank OZK by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 60,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Bank OZK by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 349,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,197,000 after purchasing an additional 26,676 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Bank OZK by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,756 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Bank OZK News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank OZK’s shares remain near their 52-week high, while the company’s valuation is modest at approximately 8.7 times earnings. Its latest quarterly report also showed earnings of $1.49 per share, slightly above analysts’ $1.48 estimate. Bank OZK stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts collectively assign Bank OZK an average “Hold” rating, indicating limited conviction that the shares will deliver significant near-term upside or downside. Bank OZK Receives Average Rating of Hold from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its 2026 EPS forecast to $5.81 from $5.85, just below the broader consensus estimate of $5.86. Its Q3 and Q4 2026 estimates were also cut to $1.43 and $1.45, respectively.
• Negative Sentiment: Forecast reductions extended into 2027: FY2027 EPS was lowered to $6.18 from $6.26, with cuts to estimates for the first three quarters and Q4 EPS reduced to $1.60 from $1.63. The Q1 2028 estimate was also trimmed to $1.67 from $1.69.
• Negative Sentiment: The latest revisions follow larger cuts earlier in the week, including a reduction in Zacks’ FY2027 estimate from $6.75 to $6.26 and its FY2026 estimate from $5.98 to $5.85. The repeated downward adjustments are likely the primary factor weighing on Bank OZK’s stock. Bank OZK FY2026 EPS Estimate Decreased by Zacks Research

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank’s core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.