Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Shares Sold by Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.

Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 160,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 57,900 shares during the quarter. Banner accounts for approximately 1.9% of Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. owned about 0.46% of Banner worth $10,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Banner by 79.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,328,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $79,132,000 after acquiring an additional 588,591 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Banner by 12.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,785,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $106,334,000 after purchasing an additional 193,434 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Banner by 395.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 166,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,894,000 after purchasing an additional 132,586 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Banner during the third quarter worth $6,477,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Banner by 3.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,330,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $79,219,000 after buying an additional 43,398 shares during the period. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banner Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BANR opened at $68.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Banner Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.00 and a fifty-two week high of $78.05. The stock has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.18.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Banner Co. will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. Banner’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About Banner

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.