Villanova Investment Management Co LLC Buys 34,049 Shares of Bank OZK $OZK

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 125,780 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 34,049 shares during the quarter. Bank OZK comprises 4.4% of Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC owned 0.11% of Bank OZK worth $6,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Bank OZK by 37.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 41,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,792,000 after purchasing an additional 11,310 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Bank OZK by 14.0% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 46,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 5,717 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 60,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,609,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Bank OZK by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 349,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,197,000 after buying an additional 26,676 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Bank OZK by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $770,000 after buying an additional 1,756 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank OZK Stock Up 1.5%

Bank OZK stock opened at $49.82 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $35.71 and a 1-year high of $53.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.43. The company has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.07 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio is 29.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on OZK shares. Citigroup reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Stephens decreased their price objective on Bank OZK from $64.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Bank OZK from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bank OZK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.78.

Bank OZK Company Profile

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.