Fisher Asset Management LLC Has $26.59 Million Holdings in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) by 40.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 398,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 114,731 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned about 1.16% of Banner worth $26,586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BANR. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Banner during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Banner during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Banner by 287.1% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in Banner by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. bought a new stake in Banner during the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. 87.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banner Stock Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ BANR opened at $68.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.69 and a 200-day moving average of $66.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 1.09. Banner Co. has a 52 week low of $42.00 and a 52 week high of $78.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a return on equity of 10.03% and a net margin of 20.28%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current year.

Banner Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Banner’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on BANR. DA Davidson increased their price target on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Banner from $69.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Banner in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.20.

Banner Profile

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities in the United States. It accepts various deposit instruments, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as treasury management services and retirement savings plans.