Stephens Inc. AR Decreases Stock Holdings in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,186 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,948 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Bank OZK were worth $3,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of OZK. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in Bank OZK during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Bank OZK by 73.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Bank OZK during the 3rd quarter valued at $61,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Bank OZK by 424.8% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Bank OZK in the fourth quarter worth $93,000. 86.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank OZK Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:OZK opened at $51.29 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.06 and its 200 day moving average is $45.01. The stock has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35 and a beta of 1.20. Bank OZK has a 52-week low of $37.43 and a 52-week high of $53.64.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.12. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 25.83%. The firm had revenue of $412.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $407.19 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Bank OZK’s payout ratio is currently 27.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Bank OZK from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $51.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Stephens upped their target price on Bank OZK from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Bank OZK from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.00.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK provides various retail and commercial banking services for individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers deposit services, including non-interest bearing checking, interest bearing transaction, business sweep, savings, money market, individual retirement, and other accounts, as well as time and reciprocal deposits.