Blair William & Co. IL Increases Holdings in Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION)

Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,713 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Zions Bancorporation, National Association were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZION. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 282,205 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,326,000 after acquiring an additional 19,072 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 430,406 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $20,324,000 after purchasing an additional 5,358 shares during the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in Zions Bancorporation, National Association in the 3rd quarter valued at about $638,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 69,055 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,261,000 after buying an additional 5,076 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 59,368 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,803,000 after buying an additional 2,523 shares during the last quarter. 76.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Price Performance

ZION stock opened at $41.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $52.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.92. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a 1 year low of $39.05 and a 1 year high of $63.22.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association (NASDAQ:ZION) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.08. Zions Bancorporation, National Association had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 13.65%. The firm had revenue of $820.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $787.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Zions Bancorporation, National Association will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.16%. Zions Bancorporation, National Association’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.75%.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, February 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the bank to purchase up to 0.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ZION. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $65.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Compass Point increased their price target on Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $54.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Zions Bancorporation, National Association from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $71.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Steven Dan Stephens sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.71, for a total transaction of $557,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 45,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,554,136.37. This represents a 17.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Anne Smith sold 22,673 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.47, for a total value of $1,280,344.31. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,313 shares in the company, valued at $1,655,305.11. This trade represents a 43.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 33,029 shares of company stock worth $1,855,321. Corporate insiders own 2.22% of the company’s stock.

About Zions Bancorporation, National Association

Zions Bancorporation, National Association provides various banking products and related services primarily in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It operates through Zions Bank, California Bank & Trust, Amegy Bank, National Bank of Arizona, Nevada State Bank, Vectra Bank Colorado, and The Commerce Bank of Washington segments.