American Century Companies Inc. Has $86.13 Million Holdings in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB)

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) by 18.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,376,590 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 302,910 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 1.99% of Ameris Bancorp worth $86,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ABCB. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,263,487 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $78,829,000 after purchasing an additional 55,473 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 13.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 21,107 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,317,000 after acquiring an additional 2,575 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 135.5% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 115,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,187,000 after acquiring an additional 66,287 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 789,271 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $49,385,000 after acquiring an additional 19,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. increased its position in Ameris Bancorp by 32.5% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 142,122 shares of the bank’s stock worth $8,867,000 after acquiring an additional 34,881 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Douglas D. Strange purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 $1,105,000.85. This trade represents a 5.43 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 5.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ABCB opened at $59.41 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Ameris Bancorp has a 1 year low of $44.23 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 1.02.

Ameris Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Ameris Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Ameris Bancorp Profile

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.