Amerant Bancorp (NASDAQ:AMTB) Downgraded by Janney Montgomery Scott to “Neutral”

Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of Amerant Bancorp (NASDAQ:AMTB) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $25.00 price target on the stock.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Amerant Bancorp from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amerant Bancorp presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $25.60.

Amerant Bancorp Stock Down 7.3 %

Shares of AMTB stock opened at $22.49 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $22.75 and a 200-day moving average of $22.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Amerant Bancorp has a 12-month low of $16.63 and a 12-month high of $27.00. The company has a market capitalization of $758.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.07 and a beta of 1.01.

Amerant Bancorp (NASDAQ:AMTB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.07). Amerant Bancorp had a return on equity of 7.79% and a net margin of 3.51%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.24 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Amerant Bancorp will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Amerant Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. Amerant Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Amerant Bancorp

In other Amerant Bancorp news, CAO Armando Fleitas sold 6,240 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.59, for a total value of $140,961.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,594 shares in the company, valued at $126,368.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Armando Fleitas sold 6,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.59, for a total transaction of $140,961.60. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $126,368.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Carlos Iafigliola sold 10,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.62, for a total transaction of $239,296.98. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 9,961 shares in the company, valued at $225,317.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 13.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amerant Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Amerant Bancorp by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,559,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,190,000 after purchasing an additional 20,214 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in Amerant Bancorp by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 9,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Amerant Bancorp by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 207,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,103,000 after acquiring an additional 2,649 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of Amerant Bancorp by 430.9% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 6,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 5,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendon Capital Advisors Corp bought a new stake in shares of Amerant Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $3,563,000. 42.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Amerant Bancorp Company Profile

Amerant Bancorp Inc operates as the bank holding company for Amerant Bank, N.A. that provides banking products and services to individuals and businesses in the United States and internationally. It offers checking, savings, business, and money market accounts; cash management services; and certificates of deposits.