BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BankUnited’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.25 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.07 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.14 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.26 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of BankUnited in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BankUnited in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on BankUnited from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Raymond James Financial set a $55.00 target price on BankUnited in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of BankUnited from $42.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.45.

BankUnited Stock Performance

Shares of BKU opened at $48.75 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.68. The company has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 1.31. BankUnited has a 12-month low of $28.21 and a 12-month high of $52.11.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $288.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $279.76 million. BankUnited had a net margin of 14.14% and a return on equity of 9.09%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BankUnited will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at BankUnited

In other BankUnited news, Director Sanjiv Sobti sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.88, for a total value of $254,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $957,358.08. The trade was a 20.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jay D. Richards sold 3,506 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.83, for a total transaction of $174,703.98. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,778,283.21. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in shares of BankUnited during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the third quarter worth $34,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in BankUnited in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in BankUnited by 158.2% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company’s stock.

BankUnited News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BankUnited this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised Q1 2027, Q3 2026 and Q4 2026 estimates significantly (examples: Q1 2027 to $1.10 from $0.88; Q4 2026 to $1.22 from $0.89), signaling better-than-expected near‑term profitability and helping lift sentiment. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also bumped FY2026 and FY2027 EPS views (FY2026 to $4.25 from $3.44; FY2027 to $4.26 from $3.82) and raised multi‑year outlook into FY2028, implying sustained earnings growth rather than a one‑quarter blip. MarketBeat BKU
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a feature evaluating BankUnited as a high‑growth dividend stock, drawing attention to its payout potential combined with the upgraded earnings trajectory — a catalyst for income‑focused and total‑return investors. Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?

About BankUnited

BankUnited, Inc is a bank holding company based in Miami Lakes, Florida, operating through its subsidiary BankUnited, National Association. The company provides a broad range of commercial banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial lending and treasury management. It serves middle-market and small-business clients, offering tailored financing solutions across a variety of industry sectors.

The bank’s lending portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and construction financing, as well as residential mortgage lending.