Sapience Investments LLC Has $3.13 Million Stake in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Sapience Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) by 23.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,826 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,713 shares during the quarter. Banner accounts for about 1.8% of Sapience Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Sapience Investments LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Banner worth $3,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Banner in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Banner in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Banner by 167.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Banner by 816.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 964 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Banner by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Banner from $75.00 to $73.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target (down previously from $77.00) on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, April 21st. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of Banner from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $71.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Banner currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.83.

Banner Price Performance

BANR stock opened at $64.79 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.99. The stock has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 0.90. Banner Co. has a 1 year low of $44.59 and a 1 year high of $78.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $159.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.72 million. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 29th. Banner’s payout ratio is currently 37.72%.

Banner Company Profile

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities in the United States. It accepts various deposit instruments, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as treasury management services and retirement savings plans.