BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on BKU. Barclays dropped their price objective on BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on BankUnited from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Compass Point increased their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on BankUnited from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BankUnited currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.40.

BankUnited Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BKU traded down $1.63 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $31.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,488,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 772,669. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 10.20 and a beta of 1.40. BankUnited has a 52 week low of $24.34 and a 52 week high of $44.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $38.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.35.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 11.48%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.26 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,234 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total value of $113,772.12. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,250 shares in the company, valued at $430,955. The trade was a 20.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BankUnited

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKU. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in BankUnited by 182.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of BankUnited in the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in BankUnited by 270.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

About BankUnited

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.