Wall Street Zen Downgrades BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) to Sell

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on BankUnited from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on BankUnited from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Hovde Group decreased their price objective on BankUnited from $57.00 to $53.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on BankUnited from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of BankUnited from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.27.

BankUnited Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE BKU opened at $49.30 on Friday. BankUnited has a twelve month low of $34.79 and a twelve month high of $52.11. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company’s fifty day moving average is $47.08 and its 200-day moving average is $46.64.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $273.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $284.57 million. BankUnited had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 9.11%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that BankUnited will post 4.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at BankUnited

In other BankUnited news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.67, for a total transaction of $194,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 40,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,971,232.34. The trade was a 8.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John N. Digiacomo sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total value of $45,970.00. Following the sale, the director owned 15,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $690,791.19. This represents a 6.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of BankUnited

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKU. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of BankUnited in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in BankUnited by 158.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in BankUnited by 141.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares during the period. 99.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank’s lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.