Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for Bank OZK

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) – Zacks Research upped their FY2026 earnings estimates for Bank OZK in a note issued to investors on Monday, July 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $5.98 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $5.96. The consensus estimate for Bank OZK’s current full-year earnings is $6.02 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Bank OZK’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.56 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $1.57 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on OZK. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Bank OZK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bank OZK in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen cut shares of Bank OZK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.25.

Bank OZK Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ OZK opened at $50.78 on Wednesday. Bank OZK has a 1-year low of $42.37 and a 1-year high of $53.66. The company has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a PE ratio of 8.27 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $49.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.21.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.01. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.27% and a return on equity of 12.32%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share.

Bank OZK announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Monday, June 29th that allows the company to repurchase $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 13th were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 13th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. This is a positive change from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.27%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in Bank OZK by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 7,437,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,171,000 after buying an additional 1,924,387 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,809,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Bank OZK by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,556,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,712,000 after acquiring an additional 546,785 shares in the last quarter. Fairholme Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 45.1% in the second quarter. Fairholme Capital Management LLC now owns 916,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,142,000 after purchasing an additional 285,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Bank OZK by 41.7% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 929,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,673,000 after purchasing an additional 273,543 shares during the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Bank OZK

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank OZK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank OZK reported second-quarter EPS of $1.49, topping consensus by a penny, which suggests the bank is still delivering modest earnings resilience. Bank OZK (OZK) Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst forecasts were raised, with Zacks Research lifting estimates for 2027 and 2028 EPS, signaling confidence in Bank OZK’s longer-term earnings power. Bank OZK analyst estimate updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains cautious overall, with consensus still at “Hold,” suggesting Wall Street sees limited near-term upside despite the earnings beat. Bank OZK Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank OZK also announced a new senior warehouse credit facility for Empire Asset Finance, a small business-development update that could support diversification but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Empire Asset Finance Secures Senior Warehouse Credit Facility with Bank OZK
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter net income fell to $163.3 million from $178.9 million a year earlier, and first-half net income and EPS also declined year over year, highlighting some earnings pressure. Bank OZK Announces Second Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha analysis argues that faster diversification may be worth the near-term earnings pressure, implying investors may need to accept some short-term margin or profit tradeoffs for longer-term stability. Bank OZK: Faster Diversification Is Worth Near-Term Earnings Pressure

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank’s core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.