Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,013 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Banner were worth $766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Banner by 36.2% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 10,812 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 2,872 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Banner by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,330,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $79,219,000 after buying an additional 43,398 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in Banner by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 65,472 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,900,000 after acquiring an additional 6,790 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Banner by 395.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 166,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,894,000 after acquiring an additional 132,586 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Banner by 30.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,013 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after acquiring an additional 3,275 shares during the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Banner from $69.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Banner has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.20.

Banner Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of BANR opened at $64.65 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $67.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.99. Banner Co. has a 12 month low of $42.00 and a 12 month high of $78.05.

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

Banner Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. Banner’s payout ratio is 39.34%.

About Banner

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.