Quantbot Technologies LP Decreases Stake in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

Quantbot Technologies LP lessened its stake in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 18.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 219,943 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,189 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP owned 0.19% of Bank OZK worth $9,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 13,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Bank OZK by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Bank OZK by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 31,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Bank OZK by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $701,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 46,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,083,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. 86.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank OZK Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of OZK opened at $42.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $48.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.87. The stock has a market cap of $4.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.99 and a beta of 1.23. Bank OZK has a 12 month low of $37.43 and a 12 month high of $53.64.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.12. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 25.83%. The firm had revenue of $412.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $407.19 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.91%. This is a boost from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on OZK shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Bank OZK from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $51.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.38.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK provides various retail and commercial banking services for individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers deposit services, including non-interest bearing checking, interest bearing transaction, business sweep, savings, money market, individual retirement, and other accounts, as well as time and reciprocal deposits.