Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Receives $74.20 Average Target Price from Analysts

Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $74.20.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Institutional Trading of Banner

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Banner during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in Banner during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Banner by 167.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Banner by 816.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Banner by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Banner Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of BANR stock opened at $56.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 1.07. Banner has a 12-month low of $42.00 and a 12-month high of $78.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.28.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. Research analysts forecast that Banner will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. Banner’s dividend payout ratio is 39.34%.

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.