Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Acquires 28,131 Shares of Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB)

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its holdings in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 697,323 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,131 shares during the quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC owned 1.01% of Ameris Bancorp worth $43,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 2,436.8% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 482 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ameris Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Ameris Bancorp by 56.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,113 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the bank’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 167.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the bank’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of ABCB opened at $59.41 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $63.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 1.02. Ameris Bancorp has a 52 week low of $44.23 and a 52 week high of $74.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Ameris Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. Ameris Bancorp’s payout ratio is 15.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameris Bancorp news, insider Douglas D. Strange bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $56.95 per share, with a total value of $56,950.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 19,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,105,000.85. The trade was a 5.43 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABCB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Ameris Bancorp from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $71.00 target price (up previously from $67.00) on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ameris Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.50.

About Ameris Bancorp

Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through five segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, SBA Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, regular interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts.