BOK Financial Co. (NASDAQ:BOKF) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

BOK Financial Co. (NASDAQ:BOKF) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 361,700 shares, a growth of 27.7% from the December 31st total of 283,300 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 158,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

BOK Financial Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of BOK Financial stock traded down $2.39 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $108.03. The company had a trading volume of 115,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 137,965. The company’s 50-day moving average is $112.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.93. BOK Financial has a twelve month low of $78.99 and a twelve month high of $121.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 1.19.

BOK Financial (NASDAQ:BOKF) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The bank reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. BOK Financial had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 15.32%. Analysts anticipate that BOK Financial will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BOK Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. BOK Financial’s payout ratio is currently 28.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Steven Bangert sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.83, for a total value of $235,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 44,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,061.47. This represents a 4.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 59.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BOK Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of BOK Financial by 130.1% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,946 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 6,755 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its position in BOK Financial by 7.8% during the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 136,091 shares of the bank’s stock worth $14,238,000 after buying an additional 9,863 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in BOK Financial by 433.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,216 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $981,000 after buying an additional 7,487 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BOK Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $540,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in BOK Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 34.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BOKF. Stephens cut their price objective on BOK Financial from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of BOK Financial from $124.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of BOK Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on BOK Financial from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of BOK Financial from $112.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.40.

BOK Financial Company Profile

BOK Financial Corporation operates as the financial holding company for BOKF, NA that provides various financial products and services in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Northwest Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, and Kansas/Missouri. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking, and Wealth Management.