BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Receives $40.70 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.45.

BKU has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $37.00 target price on shares of BankUnited in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on BankUnited from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded BankUnited from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $38.00 to $48.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 13th.

BankUnited Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE BKU opened at $41.24 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90 and a beta of 1.36. BankUnited has a 12 month low of $24.34 and a 12 month high of $44.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $38.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.26.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $515.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $258.65 million. BankUnited had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 9.06%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that BankUnited will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 11th were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 11th. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at BankUnited

In other news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.18, for a total transaction of $102,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,428,410.66. This represents a 6.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Thomas M. Cornish sold 10,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.11, for a total value of $421,527.58. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,911,000. The trade was a 9.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BKU. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in BankUnited by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 632,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,517,000 after buying an additional 48,059 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 2nd quarter valued at $799,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 3rd quarter valued at $443,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 2nd quarter valued at $515,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in BankUnited by 211.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 59,594 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,172,000 after buying an additional 40,461 shares during the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.