Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Buys 186 Shares of UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,634 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in UMB Financial were worth $410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in UMB Financial by 403.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 866,848 shares of the bank’s stock worth $91,114,000 after purchasing an additional 694,751 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UMB Financial by 567.1% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 733,734 shares of the bank’s stock worth $61,208,000 after buying an additional 623,751 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in shares of UMB Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,531,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of UMB Financial by 258.0% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 392,397 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,245,000 after acquiring an additional 282,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP raised its holdings in UMB Financial by 438.8% in the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 320,550 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,693,000 after acquiring an additional 261,055 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.78% of the company’s stock.

UMB Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ UMBF opened at $121.04 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $119.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.04. UMB Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $76.00 and a 52 week high of $129.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13 and a beta of 0.82.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $716.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $398.83 million. UMB Financial had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 13.80%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that UMB Financial Co. will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current year.

UMB Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. This is a positive change from UMB Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. UMB Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert Brian Beaird sold 854 shares of the company’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 transaction, the insider now owns 5,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $719,058.64. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO J Mariner Kemper sold 24,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.95, for a total transaction of $3,036,285.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,552,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $193,960,384.80. This trade represents a 1.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,303 shares of company stock worth $5,879,967. Company insiders own 8.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on UMBF shares. StockNews.com downgraded UMB Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays upped their price target on UMB Financial from $123.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on UMB Financial from $107.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of UMB Financial in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of UMB Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $127.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.00.

About UMB Financial

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.