BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,570,000 shares, a growth of 14.7% from the January 15th total of 2,240,000 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 741,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days.

BankUnited Stock Performance

Shares of BKU traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $40.64. The stock had a trading volume of 358,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 766,983. BankUnited has a fifty-two week low of $24.34 and a fifty-two week high of $44.45. The company has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a PE ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 1.37. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.19.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 11.48%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that BankUnited will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

BankUnited Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. BankUnited’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Compass Point lifted their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on BankUnited from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BankUnited has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.18, for a total transaction of $102,950.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,428,410.66. This trade represents a 6.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in BankUnited by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in BankUnited by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,063 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in BankUnited by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in BankUnited by 182.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in BankUnited by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

BankUnited Company Profile

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.