Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Republic Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Republic Bancorp Stock Up 1.2%

Republic Bancorp stock opened at $69.37 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $71.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.89. Republic Bancorp has a twelve month low of $56.79 and a twelve month high of $78.25.

Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $94.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.50 million. Republic Bancorp had a net margin of 25.19% and a return on equity of 12.27%.

Republic Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a $0.495 dividend. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from Republic Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Republic Bancorp’s payout ratio is 26.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Republic Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RBCAA. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Republic Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Republic Bancorp by 2,561.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Republic Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Republic Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $73,000. 24.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Bancorp Company Profile

Republic Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that operates through its principal subsidiary, Republic Bank & Trust Company. The company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services tailored to individuals, small businesses and middle‐market clients. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, treasury and cash-management services, mortgage financing, SBA lending and wealth management solutions. Republic Bancorp also supports specialized financing needs through equipment leasing and small business advisory services.

Republic Bancorp’s branch network spans key markets in the U.S.