B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Buys 2,072 Shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its stake in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,937 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,072 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Bank OZK were worth $3,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Bank OZK by 112.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 51,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,223,000 after purchasing an additional 27,409 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 395.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 311,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,407,000 after acquiring an additional 248,889 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in Bank OZK in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,883,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Bank OZK by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 298,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,821,000 after acquiring an additional 5,812 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bank OZK by 68.6% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 34,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,499,000 after purchasing an additional 14,189 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

Bank OZK Price Performance

NASDAQ:OZK opened at $43.45 on Tuesday. Bank OZK has a 52-week low of $37.43 and a 52-week high of $53.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $48.06 and a 200 day moving average of $46.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.08 and a beta of 1.23.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $412.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $407.19 million. Bank OZK had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 25.83%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Bank OZK will post 6.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.87%. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

OZK has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Bank OZK from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. UBS Group started coverage on Bank OZK in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $51.00 target price on the stock. Stephens lifted their price target on Bank OZK from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Bank OZK from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.38.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK provides various retail and commercial banking services for individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers deposit services, including non-interest bearing checking, interest bearing transaction, business sweep, savings, money market, individual retirement, and other accounts, as well as time and reciprocal deposits.