We recently compiled a list of the Why These 15 Bank Stocks Are Skyrocketing So Far In 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) stands against the other bank stocks.
The banking sector is roaring back to life so far in 2025 as the economy has been stronger than what most analysts have expected. Banks are also shedding their conservative reputations and are starting to take more risks and spend on growth, especially as most companies are experimenting with AI.
Plus, this is coinciding with a worldwide rate cut cycle as central banks in most countries ease monetary policy. Analysts are also bullish and have raised their price targets, whereas many retail and institutional investors are buying back in.
The bank stocks benefiting the most from this are likely to be the strongest.
Methodology
For this article, I screened the top-performing bank stocks year-to-date. Stocks that I have covered recently will be excluded from this list.
I will also mention the number of hedge fund investors in these stocks. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds invest in? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).
An iconic skyline of a major city, the towering buildings display the strength of the company’s regional banking success.
Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 27
Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) is a regional bank.
OZK stock is up so much year-to-date due to record-breaking Q4 2024 earnings. It jumped 10.06% in a single day after it posted its results.
EPS of $1.56 surpassed the consensus estimate of $1.44, along with full-year net income growth of 4% year-over-year to $700.27 million. Total loans also rose to $29.97 billion, up from $26.12 billion in 2023. Revenue is up 1.2% year-over-year to $412.3 million.
Bank OZK raised its quarterly common stock dividend by 2.44% to $0.42 per share. The payout ratio is at 26%.
The consensus price target of $50 implies 5.7% downside.
OZK stock is up 20.26% year-to-date.
Overall OZK ranks 10th on our list of the bank stocks that are skyrocketing so far in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of OZK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than OZK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.
