Wealthfront Advisers LLC Invests $3.67 Million in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 96,097 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,668,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in BankUnited in the 3rd quarter valued at about $443,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of BankUnited by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 362,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,836,000 after buying an additional 10,064 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $766,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in BankUnited by 462.0% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 27,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 22,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in BankUnited by 211.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 59,594 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,172,000 after acquiring an additional 40,461 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

BankUnited Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:BKU opened at $32.99 on Friday. BankUnited, Inc. has a one year low of $24.34 and a one year high of $44.45. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 1.40.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that BankUnited, Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. BankUnited’s payout ratio is currently 37.66%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Compass Point increased their price target on BankUnited from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on BankUnited from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BankUnited currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.18.

BankUnited 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.