Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Short Interest Down 20.7% in January

Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) saw a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 816,400 shares, a decrease of 20.7% from the January 15th total of 1,030,000 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 224,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Banner Stock Performance

NASDAQ BANR opened at $68.66 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.22. Banner has a twelve month low of $42.00 and a twelve month high of $78.05. The stock has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a return on equity of 10.03% and a net margin of 20.28%. Equities analysts anticipate that Banner will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Banner’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on BANR shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Banner in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Banner from $69.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banner currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.20.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banner

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Banner by 287.1% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.33% of the company’s stock.

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.