Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Stock Price

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) had its price objective reduced by Morgan Stanley from $58.00 to $54.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential upside of 24.80% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on OZK. Wells Fargo & Company raised Bank OZK from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $51.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.38.

Bank OZK Price Performance

Bank OZK stock traded down $0.62 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $43.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 224,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,234,368. The stock has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a PE ratio of 7.04 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Bank OZK has a 52 week low of $37.43 and a 52 week high of $53.64. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $48.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.89.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $412.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $407.19 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 25.83%. Bank OZK’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the fourth quarter worth approximately $853,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 143.9% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 78,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,488,000 after purchasing an additional 46,203 shares during the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank OZK in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $340,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Bank OZK by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 38,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Bank OZK by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 323,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,386,000 after purchasing an additional 24,851 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK Company Profile

Bank OZK provides various retail and commercial banking services for individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers deposit services, including non-interest bearing checking, interest bearing transaction, business sweep, savings, money market, individual retirement, and other accounts, as well as time and reciprocal deposits.