Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Banner from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Banner from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Banner in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $72.00 price target on shares of Banner in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Banner from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.00.

Banner Stock Up 2.1%

NASDAQ BANR opened at $70.29 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Banner has a one year low of $57.05 and a one year high of $72.65. The firm has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.60 and a beta of 0.83.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.02). Banner had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 23.55%.The business had revenue of $172.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.54 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Banner will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Banner by 836.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,605 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,416,000 after purchasing an additional 20,190 shares during the period. Sovran Advisors LLC bought a new position in Banner in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,147,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Banner by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,837,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $240,439,000 after acquiring an additional 44,249 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Banner by 241.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 454,807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,498,000 after acquiring an additional 321,522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its stake in Banner by 93.8% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 488,295 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,597,000 after purchasing an additional 236,394 shares during the period. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Banner News

Here are the key news stories impacting Banner this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Banner said it expects mid-single-digit loan growth in 2026, which suggests continued balance-sheet expansion and improving operating momentum. The company also said it expects its Bank of the Pacific acquisition to close in Q3, adding to the growth story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s earnings-call commentary emphasized strong loan growth and a boost in core earnings, which likely reassured investors that underlying profitability remains healthy despite near-term pressure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Banner declared a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, reinforcing capital return to shareholders and supporting the stock’s income appeal. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed 0 shares outstanding and no meaningful change, so this does not appear to be a factor driving the stock today.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly results missed analyst estimates, with EPS of $1.44 versus expectations around $1.46-$1.47, and revenue also came in slightly below forecasts. That limits upside and may temper enthusiasm around the earnings report. Article Title

About Banner

Banner Corporation, through its principal subsidiary Banner Bank, operates as a regional commercial bank headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 2000 as a bank holding company, Banner traces its origins to community banking roots in Eastern Washington dating back to the late 19th century. Over the past two decades, the company has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong presence throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services for individual and business clients.