Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Has $43.63 Million Position in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB)

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 697,323 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 28,131 shares during the quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC’s holdings in Ameris Bancorp were worth $43,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 2,436.8% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 482 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ameris Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 56.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,113 shares of the bank’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the bank’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 167.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the bank’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Performance

ABCB opened at $59.41 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.97. Ameris Bancorp has a 52-week low of $44.23 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 1.02.

Ameris Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ameris Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 15.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABCB has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Ameris Bancorp from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $71.00 target price (up previously from $67.00) on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.50.

Insider Activity at Ameris Bancorp

In other news, insider Douglas D. Strange purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $56.95 per share, for a total transaction of $56,950.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 19,403 shares in the company, valued at $1,105,000.85. The trade was a 5.43 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Ameris Bancorp

Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through five segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, SBA Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, regular interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts.