BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Upgraded at Zacks Research

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BankUnited’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.25 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.07 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.14 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.26 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna raised shares of BankUnited to a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $55.00 price objective on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of BankUnited from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on BankUnited from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, BankUnited currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.45.

BankUnited Stock Performance

BankUnited stock opened at $48.75 on Thursday. BankUnited has a fifty-two week low of $28.21 and a fifty-two week high of $52.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 1.31.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $288.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $279.76 million. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.09% and a net margin of 14.14%.During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total value of $174,703.98. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 35,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Sanjiv Sobti sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.88, for a total transaction of $254,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,816 shares in the company, valued at $957,358.08. This represents a 20.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKU. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 158.2% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

Key BankUnited News

Here are the key news stories impacting BankUnited this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised Q1 2027, Q3 2026 and Q4 2026 estimates significantly (examples: Q1 2027 to $1.10 from $0.88; Q4 2026 to $1.22 from $0.89), signaling better-than-expected near‑term profitability and helping lift sentiment. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also bumped FY2026 and FY2027 EPS views (FY2026 to $4.25 from $3.44; FY2027 to $4.26 from $3.82) and raised multi‑year outlook into FY2028, implying sustained earnings growth rather than a one‑quarter blip. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a feature evaluating BankUnited as a high‑growth dividend stock, drawing attention to its payout potential combined with the upgraded earnings trajectory — a catalyst for income‑focused and total‑return investors. Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank’s lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.