BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on BKU. Piper Sandler raised shares of BankUnited from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Compass Point raised their price target on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.18.

BankUnited Stock Performance

NYSE:BKU opened at $34.30 on Tuesday. BankUnited has a 12-month low of $24.34 and a 12-month high of $44.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.56 billion, a PE ratio of 11.14 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $38.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.15.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 8.48%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that BankUnited will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BankUnited

In related news, Director Sanjiv Sobti bought 2,000 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $32.07 per share, with a total value of $64,140.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 20,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $666,478.74. This represents a 10.65 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kevin A. Malcolm sold 3,234 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total transaction of $113,772.12. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $430,955. The trade was a 20.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of BankUnited

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKU. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,525,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,499,000. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,663,000. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $17,745,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,821,480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $107,696,000 after acquiring an additional 322,368 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.