Analysts Set BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Target Price at $53.55

Shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $54.00.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of BankUnited from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of BankUnited from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Susquehanna upgraded shares of BankUnited to a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on BankUnited from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

BankUnited Stock Performance

BankUnited stock opened at $45.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 1.29. BankUnited has a 12-month low of $28.21 and a 12-month high of $52.11. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $47.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.57.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $260.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $279.76 million. BankUnited had a net margin of 14.14% and a return on equity of 9.09%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.33 dividend. This is a boost from BankUnited’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio is 37.29%.

Insider Transactions at BankUnited

In other news, Director Sanjiv Sobti sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.88, for a total value of $254,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $957,358.08. This represents a 20.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total transaction of $174,703.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 35,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,953 shares of company stock worth $591,492. Insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. HoldCo Asset Management LP grew its position in shares of BankUnited by 277.3% in the 4th quarter. HoldCo Asset Management LP now owns 3,535,282 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $157,568,000 after buying an additional 2,598,382 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter worth about $73,655,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of BankUnited by 1,066.9% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,399,655 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,383,000 after acquiring an additional 1,279,712 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of BankUnited by 398.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,170,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,164,000 after acquiring an additional 935,370 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of BankUnited by 73.4% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,542,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $68,728,000 after acquiring an additional 652,926 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company’s 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.