Vanguard Group Inc. Has $527.92 Million Stock Holdings in Ameris Bancorp $ABCB

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,201,151 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 163,059 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Ameris Bancorp worth $527,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 16.8% during the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 394,563 shares of the bank’s stock worth $28,925,000 after acquiring an additional 56,852 shares in the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new stake in Ameris Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,663,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 86,422 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,336,000 after purchasing an additional 13,129 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in Ameris Bancorp by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 250,505 shares of the bank’s stock worth $18,365,000 after purchasing an additional 30,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ameris Bancorp by 98,682.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 351,666 shares of the bank’s stock worth $25,780,000 after purchasing an additional 351,310 shares in the last quarter. 91.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:ABCB opened at $79.38 on Wednesday. Ameris Bancorp has a twelve month low of $48.27 and a twelve month high of $87.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.24 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $79.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.86.

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.03. Ameris Bancorp had a net margin of 21.46% and a return on equity of 9.57%. The firm had revenue of $309.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.48 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Ameris Bancorp will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameris Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Ameris Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.33%.

More Ameris Bancorp News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ameris Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reception remains constructive — the stock has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” and several recent price-target increases, supporting a positive medium-term view for ABCB. Ameris Bancorp Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Ameris Bank announced executive leadership changes. Management reshuffles can cause short-term uncertainty while markets digest succession and role changes, but the release did not signal financial stress. Ameris Bank Announces Executive Leadership Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate Executive VP / Chief Strategy Officer retirement announced — a planned retirement can be neutral if succession is clear, but it may raise short-term questions about strategic continuity. Ameris Bancorp Announces Retirement of Chief Strategy Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider transactions disclosed today include token single-share sales by Ross L. Creasy, CFO Nicole S. Stokes and Douglas D. Strange (each sold 1 share). These de minimis trades are routine and unlikely to signal a change in insider conviction. SEC filings: Ross Creasy Form 4 Nicole Stokes Form 4 Douglas Strange Form 4 (1 share)
• Neutral Sentiment: A prior insider sale disclosure (Douglas Strange sold 205 shares on Dec. 31) was also noted; the size is small relative to institutional holdings and the insider’s total stake. Douglas Strange Sells 205 Shares of Ameris Bancorp

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Ameris Bancorp from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Stephens boosted their target price on Ameris Bancorp from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. DA Davidson set a $94.00 price target on Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Ameris Bancorp from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $84.00 price objective on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.50.

Ameris Bancorp Profile

Ameris Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its principal subsidiary, Ameris Bank, the company offers a broad range of commercial and retail banking services to individuals, small businesses, middle market companies and agricultural customers. Its core business lines encompass deposit services, lending solutions, treasury management, mortgage origination and servicing, insurance products and wealth management.

Ameris Bancorp operates a network of branches and loan production offices across the southeastern United States, including Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.