UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of UMB Financial from $123.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on UMB Financial in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on UMB Financial in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on UMB Financial from $107.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on UMB Financial in a report on Thursday, October 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $127.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UMB Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.00.

UMB Financial Price Performance

UMB Financial stock opened at $114.61 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a PE ratio of 14.33 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.12. UMB Financial has a 12 month low of $76.00 and a 12 month high of $129.94.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. UMB Financial had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 13.80%. The business had revenue of $716.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $398.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. Analysts expect that UMB Financial will post 9.21 EPS for the current year.

UMB Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. This is a boost from UMB Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. UMB Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert Brian Beaird sold 854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.38, for a total value of $105,366.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,828 shares in the company, valued at $719,058.64. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO J Mariner Kemper sold 24,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.81, for a total value of $2,473,983.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,600,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,988,036.24. This trade represents a 1.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 74,603 shares of company stock worth $8,353,950. 8.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UMB Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UMBF. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UMB Financial by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,954,762 shares of the bank’s stock worth $163,066,000 after purchasing an additional 49,690 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of UMB Financial by 6.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,752,524 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $146,196,000 after buying an additional 111,090 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of UMB Financial by 6.3% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,689,895 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $140,968,000 after buying an additional 100,000 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of UMB Financial by 1.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,114,251 shares of the bank’s stock worth $117,139,000 after acquiring an additional 21,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of UMB Financial by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 949,687 shares of the bank’s stock worth $99,822,000 after acquiring an additional 24,799 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.78% of the company’s stock.

UMB Financial Company Profile

UMB Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company that provides banking services and asset servicing in the United States and internationally. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial loans and credit card; commercial real estate financing; letters of credit; loan syndication, and consultative service; various business solutions including asset-based lending, mezzanine debt, and minority equity investment; and treasury management service, such as depository service, account reconciliation, cash management tool, accounts payable and receivable solution, electronic fund transfer and automated payment, controlled disbursement, lockbox service, and remote deposit capture service.