Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) Stock Price Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $67.35 and traded as high as $67.35. Banner shares last traded at $66.60, with a volume of 172,911 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on BANR. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banner from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Banner in a report on Monday, September 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Banner from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Banner from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on Banner in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Banner currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.75.

Banner Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $69.93 and its 200 day moving average is $67.39. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.83.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $172.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.54 million. Banner had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 10.72%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Banner Corporation will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 4th. Banner’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banner

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Banner by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,177,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $132,104,000 after purchasing an additional 18,077 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Banner in the 2nd quarter worth about $20,508,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Banner by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 278,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,468,000 after purchasing an additional 22,889 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Banner by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 216,221 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,120,000 after purchasing an additional 10,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Reef Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Banner during the 1st quarter valued at about $11,860,000. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Banner Company Profile

Banner Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Its principal subsidiary, Banner Bank, is a community bank that provides financial services to individuals, families, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Banner Bank offers deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, construction loans, business and consumer loans, mortgage services, treasury management and wealth management solutions. The bank also serves small and mid-sized businesses through commercial banking products and relationship-based financial services.

Founded in the Pacific Northwest, Banner has expanded its banking operations across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Utah.