Banner Corporation (BANR) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $73.75.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target 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 raised their price objective on shares of Banner from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Banner from $74.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Banner in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banner from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banner

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Banner by 31.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Banner during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Banner during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in Banner by 55.0% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Banner during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.33% of the company’s stock.

Banner Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of BANR stock opened at $66.43 on Tuesday. Banner has a twelve month low of $57.05 and a twelve month high of $74.84. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.96 and a beta of 0.83.

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

Banner Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Banner’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.32%.

About Banner

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.