BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Price Target Raised to $43.00

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) had its target price lifted by equities research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $42.00 to $43.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “sector perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 8.14% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays cut their target price on BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Compass Point raised their price target on BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BankUnited has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.40.

BankUnited Stock Performance

Shares of BKU stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $39.77. The stock had a trading volume of 132,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 791,985. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. BankUnited has a 1-year low of $24.34 and a 1-year high of $44.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s fifty day moving average is $39.96 and its 200-day moving average is $37.47.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 9.06%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that BankUnited will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Thomas M. Cornish sold 10,778 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.11, for a total transaction of $421,527.58. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,911,000. This trade represents a 9.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jay D. Richards sold 2,500 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.18, for a total value of $102,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,687 shares in the company, valued at $1,428,410.66. This trade represents a 6.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKU. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in BankUnited by 182.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of BankUnited by 118.3% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 2,280 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in BankUnited by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in BankUnited in the second quarter valued at $169,000. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BankUnited Company Profile

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.