Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $50.38.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on OZK shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Bank OZK from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $40.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $51.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

Bank OZK Stock Performance

Shares of Bank OZK stock opened at $43.38 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 7.07 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $47.92 and a 200-day moving average of $46.18. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $37.43 and a 1-year high of $53.64.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.12. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 25.83%. The firm had revenue of $412.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $407.19 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. This is a boost from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.96%. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank OZK

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in OZK. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 7.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,106,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,526,000 after buying an additional 485,172 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Bank OZK by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 7,102,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,281,000 after acquiring an additional 1,149,880 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,223,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,198 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Bank OZK by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,130,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,909,000 after purchasing an additional 188,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Bank OZK by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,945,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,162,000 after purchasing an additional 686,775 shares during the period. 86.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.