UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF) Declares $0.40 Quarterly Dividend

UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 29th,Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of 0.40 per share by the bank on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th.

UMB Financial has raised its dividend by an average of 4.4% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 22 years. UMB Financial has a payout ratio of 14.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect UMB Financial to earn $9.40 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 17.0%.

UMB Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UMBF traded up $0.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $122.56. 1,526,272 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 569,965. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. UMB Financial has a twelve month low of $76.00 and a twelve month high of $129.94. The company has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.49.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.24. UMB Financial had a return on equity of 13.80% and a net margin of 14.44%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that UMB Financial will post 9.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UMBF. StockNews.com lowered UMB Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on UMB Financial in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on UMB Financial from $123.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup initiated coverage on UMB Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $127.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on UMB Financial in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UMB Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at UMB Financial

In other news, CEO J Mariner Kemper sold 24,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.95, for a total value of $3,036,285.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,552,304 shares in the company, valued at $193,960,384.80. The trade was a 1.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert Brian Beaird sold 854 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.38, for a total value of $105,366.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 5,828 shares in the company, valued at $719,058.64. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,303 shares of company stock worth $5,879,967. Insiders own 8.85% of the company’s stock.

About UMB Financial

UMB Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company that provides banking services and asset servicing in the United States and internationally. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial loans and credit card; commercial real estate financing; letters of credit; loan syndication, and consultative service; various business solutions including asset-based lending, mezzanine debt, and minority equity investment; and treasury management service, such as depository service, account reconciliation, cash management tool, accounts payable and receivable solution, electronic fund transfer and automated payment, controlled disbursement, lockbox service, and remote deposit capture service.