BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BankUnited’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.25 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.07 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.14 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.26 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

BKU has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BankUnited in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Hovde Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on BankUnited from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.45.

BankUnited Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE BKU opened at $48.75 on Thursday. BankUnited has a 12-month low of $28.21 and a 12-month high of $52.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $46.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.68. The company has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 1.31.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. BankUnited had a return on equity of 9.09% and a net margin of 14.14%.The company had revenue of $288.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $279.76 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 9th. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total value of $174,703.98. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 35,687 shares in the company, valued at $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sanjiv Sobti sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 18,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $957,358.08. This trade represents a 20.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of BankUnited

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in BankUnited during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of BankUnited in the first quarter worth $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. 99.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about BankUnited

Here are the key news stories impacting BankUnited this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised Q1 2027, Q3 2026 and Q4 2026 estimates significantly (examples: Q1 2027 to $1.10 from $0.88; Q4 2026 to $1.22 from $0.89), signaling better-than-expected near‑term profitability and helping lift sentiment. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also bumped FY2026 and FY2027 EPS views (FY2026 to $4.25 from $3.44; FY2027 to $4.26 from $3.82) and raised multi‑year outlook into FY2028, implying sustained earnings growth rather than a one‑quarter blip. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a feature evaluating BankUnited as a high‑growth dividend stock, drawing attention to its payout potential combined with the upgraded earnings trajectory — a catalyst for income‑focused and total‑return investors. Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend 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.