Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Expands Stake in BankUnited, Inc.

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. has significantly increased its investment in BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) by 133.3% during the fourth quarter, based on its latest 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the acquisition of an additional 42,000 shares, the institutional investor now holds a total of 73,500 shares of BankUnited's stock. This increase places BankUnited as approximately 0.8% of Hussman Strategic Advisors' overall portfolio and marks it as their 29th largest investment. At the conclusion of the most recent quarter, Hussman Strategic Advisors owned approximately 0.10% of BankUnited, valued at $2,805,000.

Other institutional investors have also been active in trading shares of BankUnited. Blue Trust Inc. has raised its stake in BankUnited by 182.3% in the fourth quarter, leading to ownership of 847 shares worth about $31,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Similarly, R Squared Ltd entered a new stake valued at approximately $113,000 in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings by 87.8% during the same period, bringing its total to 4,028 shares valued at $154,000 after adding 1,883 shares. CWM LLC has also increased its position by 118.3%, now holding 4,208 shares valued at $153,000 after purchasing 2,280 more shares. SG Americas Securities LLC also made a new investment in BankUnited, estimated at around $181,000. Overall, institutional investors hold a substantial share, owning 99.70% of the company's stock.

Performance of BankUnited Stock

The stock performance of BankUnited has seen it open at $40.12 recently. Financial metrics for the company indicate a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.88, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The 50-day and 200-day moving averages are $39.56 and $38.24, respectively. BankUnited Inc. currently has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.02, and a beta of 1.37. Over the past year, the stock has witnessed a low of $24.34 and a high of $44.45.

In its most recent earnings report on January 22nd, BankUnited reported earnings per share of $0.91, surpassing expectations where the consensus estimate was $0.72 by $0.19. The company's net margin stood at 11.48% with a return on equity of 8.48%. This time last year, BankUnited had earnings of $0.26 per share. Financial analysts are predicting an earnings per share of 3.13 for BankUnited for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement by BankUnited

BankUnited has recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was distributed on January 31st to shareholders who were on record as of January 10th, receiving a dividend of $0.29 per share. This amounts to an annualized dividend of $1.16, corresponding to a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date for this distribution was January 10th, and the company's current payout ratio stands at 37.66%.

Analyst Ratings and Price Targets

Several brokerage firms have recently evaluated their positions regarding BankUnited's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target from $38.00 to $45.00 while giving the stock a "market perform" rating on December 4th. Compass Point increased their price target from $42.00 to $49.00, assigning a "buy" rating on December 10th. On December 20th, Barclays lowered their price target from $45.00 to $44.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo announced an increase in their price target from $48.00 to $50.00, determining the stock as "overweight" on January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group also revised their price target from $36.00 to $42.00, although they labeled the stock with a "sell" rating. Currently, one analyst rates the stock as a sell, seven as hold, and three as buy. According to MarketBeat data, BankUnited holds an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus price target of $43.40.

Company Information

BankUnited, Inc functions as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a variety of banking services within the United States. Their offerings include deposit products such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts, alongside certificates of deposit and various treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.

Investments, Shares, Earnings