Bank OZK Rewards Shareholders With a 2.2% Increase in Dividend

Bank OZK OZK announced a quarterly cash dividend of 47 cents per share, indicating an increase of 2.2% from the prior payout. The dividend will be paid out on April 20, 2026, to shareholders of record as of April 13. This marks the 63rd consecutive quarter of a dividend hike by OZK.

Before this, the bank hiked its quarterly dividend by 2.2% to 46 cents per share. Over the past five years, OZK has increased its dividend 20 times. The bank has a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 11.42%. At present, it has a dividend payout ratio of 29%.

Based on yesterday’s closing price of $46.17, Bank OZK currently has a dividend yield of 3.98%, compared with the industry average of 2.22%.

Bank OZK Dividend Yield (TTM)

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Bank OZK’s strong track record of consistently increasing its dividend has earned it a place in the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index since January 2018. This index comprises companies within the S&P Composite 1500 that have raised their common stock dividends annually for at least 20 consecutive years and meet the minimum float-adjusted market capitalization and liquidity criteria.

Apart from regular dividend hikes, Bank OZK continues to reward shareholders with share repurchases. In June 2025, the company’s board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $200 million worth of shares. The program is set to expire on July 1, 2026.  As of Dec. 31, 2025, $99 million worth of shares remained available under the existing authorization.

Bank OZK has a solid balance sheet. As of Dec 31, 2025, the company had total debt of $350 million, significantly lower than cash and cash equivalents of $2.8 billion as of the same date.  Further, at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, its common equity Tier-1 capital ratio of 11.7% and the total risk-based capital ratio of 14.8% were well above regulatory requirements.

With robust capital and liquidity positions, Bank OZK remains well-placed to sustain its capital distribution efforts and boost shareholder value.

Over the past six months, shares of Bank OZK fell 9.9% against 6% growth of the industry. 
 

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OZK currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Similar Steps by Other Banks

Last week, BankUnited, Inc. BKU increased its quarterly dividend by 6.1% to 33 cents per share. The dividend will be paid out on April 30, 2026, to shareholders of record as of April 10.
 
Previously, the company hiked its quarterly dividend by 6.8% to 31 cents per share in March 2025. Over the past five years, BKU has increased its dividend five times, with an annualized dividend growth rate of 7.41%. 

In March, Independent Bank Corp.’s INDB board of directors announced a dividend of 64 cents per share. This reflects an 8.5% hike from the previous payout. The dividend will be paid out on April 9, 2026, to shareholders of record as of March 30.

INDB has increased its dividend payout five times in the past five years. It last increased the dividend by 3.5% to 59 cents per share in March 2025.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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