Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Has $17.81 Million Stock Position in Bank OZK $OZK

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 35.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 385,709 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 101,451 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Bank OZK were worth $17,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ruffer LLP bought a new position in Bank OZK during the 4th quarter worth about $3,137,000. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 531,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,475,000 after buying an additional 63,051 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Bank OZK by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 285,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,574,000 after buying an additional 51,171 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its position in Bank OZK by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,869,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,031,000 after buying an additional 50,985 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Bank OZK by 327.8% in the 4th quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 64,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,986,000 after acquiring an additional 49,716 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank OZK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank OZK beat Q2 earnings expectations, reporting $1.49 per share versus the $1.46 consensus estimate, which suggests operations remained better than expected. Bank OZK (OZK) Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Several research notes from Zacks Research lifted future earnings estimates for Bank OZK, signaling improved analyst confidence in the bank’s longer-term profit outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment remains cautious overall, with consensus recommendations still sitting at “Hold,” indicating the stock may not have a strong near-term catalyst beyond earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank OZK also announced a new warehouse credit facility with Empire Asset Finance, a business update that supports lending activity but is unlikely to move the stock by itself. Empire Asset Finance Secures Senior Warehouse Credit Facility with Bank OZK
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, Q2 net income and EPS were both lower than a year ago, raising concerns about earnings momentum and helping explain the stock’s softer tone.

Bank OZK Price Performance

NASDAQ:OZK opened at $50.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.27 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $49.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.21. Bank OZK has a one year low of $42.37 and a one year high of $53.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.27% and a return on equity of 12.32%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, June 29th that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 13th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is an increase from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 13th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Bank OZK’s payout ratio is currently 31.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Bank OZK from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Bank OZK from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.25.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank’s core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.