Bank Of The Ozarks Pushing Hard For Growth

It's been a while since I've written about Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) for Seeking Alpha, in part because there's a limit to how many different ways you can say "it's a well-run, high-growth bank, but the multiple is rich". In any case, the shares are a little under 20% from my last update (when I thought it was too pricey for me), and I've frankly done better with my positions in JPMorgan (JPM) and BB&T (BBT) over that same time.

I continue to find it difficult to get completely comfortable with the valuation on this bank, and I'm a little concerned about the aggressive pace of C&D lending at this point in the real estate cycle. Management's skill in navigating past cycles has certainly earned them the benefit of the doubt with me, and I like the long-term potential of not only replicating the specialty lending model across the country but also diversifying the loan book and building up core deposits.

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Bank Of The Ozarks Pushing Hard For Growth