Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors acquired 46,434 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 3,442% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,311 call options.

Bank OZK Price Performance

NASDAQ OZK traded down $0.35 during trading on Monday, reaching $47.96. 632,136 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,208,813. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $35.71 and a 1-year high of $53.66. The company has a market cap of $5.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.73 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $46.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.66 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $449.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.93 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.00% and a net margin of 25.81%.During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.55 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on OZK shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $63.00 to $59.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $57.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank OZK

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Bank OZK in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of Bank OZK in the third quarter worth $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bank OZK in the third quarter worth $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Bank OZK by 147.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 568 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Bank OZK by 58.2% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank OZK Company Profile

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank’s core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.