Arkansas Financial Group Inc. Cuts Position in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

Arkansas Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 14.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,404 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the period. Arkansas Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Bank OZK were worth $508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of OZK. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bank OZK in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Bank OZK during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 424.8% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank OZK Stock Performance

Shares of OZK opened at $50.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Bank OZK has a 52-week low of $37.43 and a 52-week high of $51.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $46.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.43. The company has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.29 and a beta of 1.20.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.12. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.83% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business had revenue of $412.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $407.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. This is an increase from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on OZK shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target 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. Truist Financial cut their price target on Bank OZK from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Stephens lifted their price objective on Bank OZK from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Bank OZK from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $51.00 price target for the company. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.00.

Bank OZK Company Profile

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.