Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.05 EPS

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The bank reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.05, FiscalAI reports. Associated Banc had a return on equity of 10.64% and a net margin of 19.66%. The company had revenue of $468.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.69 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Associated Banc’s conference call:

• Net interest income rose 2% sequentially to $377 million, while net interest margin expanded three basis points to 3.20%, supported by stronger core deposits and balance-sheet remixing.
• Core customer deposits increased nearly $700 million, or 2%, helping reduce wholesale funding; management maintained its 2026 guidance for 17%-19% total deposit growth and 19%-21% core customer deposit growth.
• Management reiterated its 2026 loan-growth outlook of 18%-20% for the combined company and cited commercial pipelines up roughly 36%-40% year over year, despite elevated third-quarter payoffs.
• The company repurchased $100 million of shares in the quarter and expects to complete the remaining authorization in the fourth quarter, while maintaining a CET1 target range of 10%-10.75%.
• Credit metrics remained generally stable, with net charge-offs declining to 19 basis points and criticized loans falling 7%, although non-accrual balances rose by $33 million and third-quarter expenses included $13 million of acquisition-related costs.

Associated Banc Stock Performance

NYSE:ASB opened at $29.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. Associated Banc has a 52-week low of $23.87 and a 52-week high of $32.46. The firm has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.43, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $29.83 and its 200 day moving average is $29.44.

Associated Banc Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. Associated Banc’s payout ratio is presently 33.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ASB. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Associated Banc from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of Associated Banc in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Associated Banc in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Associated Banc presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Associated Banc

In other Associated Banc news, EVP Randall Erickson sold 43,561 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.04, for a total value of $1,395,694.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 56,091 shares in the company, valued at $1,797,155.64. This trade represents a 43.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nicole Kitowski sold 7,663 shares of Associated Banc stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.91, for a total value of $236,863.33. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,401,057.57. The trade was a 14.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 78,833 shares of company stock worth $2,502,103 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Associated Banc News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Associated Banc this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter net income increased 18% year over year to $146.6 million. Diluted EPS was $0.76, up from $0.73 a year earlier, while adjusted EPS excluding nonrecurring items was $0.81. Associated Banc-Corp Q3 2026 earnings release
• Positive Sentiment: Net interest income rose 24% to $377.3 million, and the net interest margin expanded 16 basis points from the prior-year quarter to 3.20%, supporting improved profitability. Associated Banc Q3 net income report
• Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet growth was strong: deposits increased 16% to $40.4 billion and period-end loans rose 18% to $36.5 billion. Associated Banc also repurchased $100 million of common stock during the quarter. Associated Banc Q3 operating metrics
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue of approximately $464.3 million modestly exceeded the roughly $463.7 million consensus estimate, while noninterest income increased 7% year over year to $87.1 million. Associated Banc Q3 earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: GAAP EPS of $0.76 matched the Zacks consensus estimate, limiting the size of the earnings surprise despite year-over-year growth. Zacks Associated Banc Q3 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Noninterest expense was $260.3 million and included $13 million in acquisition-related, nonrecurring costs, highlighting integration expenses that pressured reported earnings. Associated Banc Q3 earnings call transcript

About Associated Banc

Associated Banc-Corp is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Through its principal subsidiary, Associated Bank, it provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and institutions.

Associated Bank offers commercial and corporate banking, retail banking, mortgage lending, consumer lending, treasury management, investment and wealth management, and institutional services. Its business banking activities include lending, deposit accounts, cash-management solutions and other services designed for small and middle-market companies.

The company primarily serves customers across Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota through its branch network and digital banking channels.