BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $45.25 and last traded at $45.2950, with a volume of 38795 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $44.70.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 price target on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on shares of BankUnited in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of BankUnited from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of BankUnited from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $55.00 in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Hovde Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of BankUnited in a report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BankUnited has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.40.

BankUnited Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average of $40.23 and a 200 day moving average of $38.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 1.34.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $275.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $280.33 million. BankUnited had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 9.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that BankUnited, Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BKU. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in BankUnited during the first quarter worth $28,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in shares of BankUnited by 14,050.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 849 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of BankUnited by 158.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 32.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 1,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.