BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU)’s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $45.35 and traded as high as $46.68. BankUnited shares last traded at $46.04, with a volume of 553,987 shares trading hands.

More BankUnited News

Here are the key news stories impacting BankUnited this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised BankUnited’s earnings outlook across several future quarters and full-year periods, signaling improving profitability expectations for BKU.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research kept its Hold rating on BankUnited, so the updated estimates do not come with a more bullish formal recommendation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, a recent report noted BankUnited’s shares moved above their 200-day moving average, which can be viewed as a technical support signal. BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BKU. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of BankUnited from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of BankUnited from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of BankUnited from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of BankUnited from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded shares of BankUnited to a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.27.

BankUnited Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $45.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.35.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $273.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $284.57 million. BankUnited had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 9.11%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. Analysts expect that BankUnited, Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from BankUnited’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.77%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,447 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total transaction of $162,388.17. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,765. This represents a 23.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BKU. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of BankUnited during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of BankUnited by 158.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of BankUnited by 202.0% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.