Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 26,055 Shares of Bank OZK $OZK

Clearbridge Investments LLC lowered its stake in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 295,257 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,055 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Bank OZK worth $13,588,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 100.5% during the 4th quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 766 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of Bank OZK during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK Stock Performance

NASDAQ OZK opened at $51.04 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $48.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.42. The stock has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a PE ratio of 8.31 and a beta of 0.90. Bank OZK has a fifty-two week low of $42.37 and a fifty-two week high of $53.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $424.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $422.62 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.27% and a return on equity of 12.32%. Bank OZK’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th were given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 13th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on OZK. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered Bank OZK from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Bank OZK from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Bank OZK from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Bank OZK has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.89.

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.