Inceptionr LLC Takes Position in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB)

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 6,430 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $402,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameris Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $2,016,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Ameris Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $1,585,000. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 9,124 shares of the bank’s stock worth $571,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 917,396 shares of the bank’s stock worth $57,401,000 after acquiring an additional 10,256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 167.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the bank’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ABCB. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 target price (up from $67.00) on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $71.00 target price on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Ameris Bancorp from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ameris Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.50.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Down 1.1 %

Ameris Bancorp stock opened at $58.91 on Friday. Ameris Bancorp has a 1-year low of $44.22 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.31 and a beta of 1.02. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $64.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Ameris Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. This is a positive change from Ameris Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Ameris Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.36%.

Ameris Bancorp Company Profile

Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through five segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, SBA Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, regular interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts.