Villanova Investment Management Co LLC Boosts Holdings in Bank OZK $OZK

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC raised its position in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 37.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 125,780 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,049 shares during the quarter. Bank OZK accounts for approximately 4.4% of Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s holdings in Bank OZK were worth $6,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Bank OZK in the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,960,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Bank OZK by 767.1% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 566,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,667,000 after buying an additional 501,308 shares during the last quarter. Senvest Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. Senvest Management LLC now owns 1,581,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,429,000 after acquiring an additional 310,707 shares during the period. Fairholme Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 45.1% during the 2nd quarter. Fairholme Capital Management LLC now owns 916,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,142,000 after acquiring an additional 285,150 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 57.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 694,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,705,000 after acquiring an additional 253,001 shares during the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank OZK Stock Performance

NASDAQ OZK opened at $49.82 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.43. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $35.71 and a 12-month high of $53.66. The company has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.07 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $436.29 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $434.68 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.50% and a return on equity of 12.65%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on OZK. Stephens cut their price target on Bank OZK from $64.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Bank OZK currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.78.

Bank OZK Company Profile

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.