Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Stock

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) had its target price increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $42.00 to $55.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.25% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently commented on BKU. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of BankUnited in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of BankUnited in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of BankUnited in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna raised shares of BankUnited to a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BankUnited currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.00.

BankUnited Stock Up 8.5%

Shares of NYSE:BKU opened at $50.34 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $44.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.40. The company has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.18 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83. BankUnited has a one year low of $28.21 and a one year high of $51.33.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. BankUnited had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 9.18%. The business had revenue of $288.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $279.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that BankUnited will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BankUnited

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BKU. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,596,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $175,400,000 after purchasing an additional 51,926 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of BankUnited by 23.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,070,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $117,183,000 after buying an additional 576,843 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in BankUnited by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,163,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $82,576,000 after buying an additional 185,937 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in BankUnited by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,776,183 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,223,000 after acquiring an additional 13,555 shares during the period. Finally, Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC lifted its stake in BankUnited by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 1,535,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,586,000 after acquiring an additional 265,439 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting BankUnited

Here are the key news stories impacting BankUnited this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — EPS topped consensus (reported $0.94 vs. ~$0.85 est.) and revenue exceeded estimates, showing improved profitability and top-line strength. BankUnited, Inc. (BKU) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Added $200M share buyback authorization — management approved incremental buybacks alongside the results, which supports EPS and signals confidence in capital position. BankUnited, Inc. Reports 4Q 2025 Net Income…
• Positive Sentiment: NIM expansion and deposit/loan trends — quarter showed a ~6 bp NIM lift, $485M growth in non‑interest bearing deposits and $769M core loan growth, supporting margin and revenue outlook. BKU Q4 Deep Dive: Deposit Growth, Margin Expansion, and Balanced Loan Mix Stand Out
• Positive Sentiment: Management targets — company reiterated a ~6% core loan growth target and emphasized continued NII/NIM expansion, giving investors a clear growth trajectory for 2026. BankUnited targets 6% core loan growth and $200M buyback amid strong NIDDA expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts available — management commentary (see call transcript) provides color on reserve trends, mix of loan originations, and capital usage; useful for modeling but no major surprises reported. BankUnited (BKU) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage pieces confirm beats — multiple outlets and research notes compared key metrics to estimates and highlighted the beat, reinforcing the market reaction. BankUnited (BKU) Q4 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank’s lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.