Q4 EPS Estimates for Associated Banc Cut by Zacks Research

Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2027 earnings estimates for Associated Banc in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the bank will post earnings per share of $0.75 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.78. The consensus estimate for Associated Banc’s current full-year earnings is $2.43 per share.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on ASB. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Associated Banc in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Associated Banc in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.20.

Associated Banc Price Performance

Shares of ASB opened at $28.18 on Monday. Associated Banc has a 52 week low of $18.32 and a 52 week high of $29.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.01 and a 200-day moving average of $26.10.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.11. Associated Banc had a return on equity of 10.25% and a net margin of 19.31%.The firm had revenue of $393.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $382.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share.

Associated Banc declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the bank to buy up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Associated Banc Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Associated Banc’s payout ratio is presently 34.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Associated Banc news, EVP Patrick Edward Ahern sold 30,489 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.70, for a total value of $783,567.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $618,213.50. This trade represents a 55.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John B. Williams sold 2,325 shares of Associated Banc stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value of $65,216.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,990,399.95. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 53,007 shares of company stock worth $1,418,613. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASB. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,538,157 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $477,543,000 after purchasing an additional 545,185 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Associated Banc by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,711,346 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $224,404,000 after buying an additional 147,372 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Associated Banc by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,151,111 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $101,256,000 after buying an additional 67,219 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of Associated Banc by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 3,663,163 shares of the bank’s stock worth $94,363,000 after buying an additional 38,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 2,867,172 shares of the bank’s stock worth $73,858,000 after acquiring an additional 963,788 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.98% of the company’s stock.

About Associated Banc

Associated Banc-Corp, through its primary subsidiary Associated Bank, N.A., is a regional financial services company headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The bank operates more than 200 branches across the Midwest, offering community-focused banking solutions for individuals, small businesses and commercial clients. Its emphasis on personalized service and regional decision-making supports long-standing customer relationships.

On the consumer side, Associated Bank provides checking and savings accounts, residential mortgages, home equity lines of credit, auto financing and credit card products.