Bank OZK $OZK Stock Position Trimmed by Kennedy Capital Management LLC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC cut its position in Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 8.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 697,939 shares of the company’s stock after selling 63,758 shares during the period. Bank OZK makes up 0.8% of Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.61% of Bank OZK worth $35,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of OZK. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Bank OZK in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in shares of Bank OZK in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank OZK in the third quarter worth $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 147.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 568 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 82.2% during the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 665 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK Price Performance

NASDAQ OZK traded up $0.02 on Friday, hitting $43.86. The company had a trading volume of 74,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,370,359. The company has a market capitalization of $4.91 billion, a PE ratio of 7.10 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $47.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Bank OZK has a 12-month low of $35.71 and a 12-month high of $53.66.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.03). Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.50% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The company had revenue of $436.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $434.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. This is a boost from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is 29.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research upgraded Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Bank OZK from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “sell” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.22.

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.