Associated Banc-Corp $ASB Stock: Leeward Investments LLC MA Lowers Position

Leeward Investments LLC MA trimmed its holdings in shares of Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 668,962 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 40,507 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Associated Banc were worth $19,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in Associated Banc by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 39,378 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Associated Banc by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,336 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Associated Banc by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,305 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Associated Banc by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,649 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $420,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its holdings in shares of Associated Banc by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 8,605 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares during the period. 82.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Associated Banc Price Performance

ASB opened at $30.24 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Associated Banc-Corp has a 1 year low of $23.87 and a 1 year high of $32.46. The stock has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.05. Associated Banc had a return on equity of 10.75% and a net margin of 19.87%. The company had revenue of $468.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $463.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.73 EPS. Analysts forecast that Associated Banc-Corp will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Associated Banc Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. Associated Banc’s payout ratio is currently 33.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ASB shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Associated Banc in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Associated Banc from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Associated Banc presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.50.

More Associated Banc News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating results: Associated Banc reported third-quarter net income of $146.6 million, an 18% year-over-year increase. GAAP EPS was $0.76, while EPS excluding nonrecurring items was $0.81, exceeding the $0.76 analyst consensus cited by the company. Revenue of approximately $464 million also topped expectations. Associated Banc Q3 earnings release
• Positive Sentiment: Growth in deposits, loans and net interest income: Total deposits rose 16% year over year to $40.4 billion, while period-end loans increased 18% to $36.5 billion. Net interest income climbed 24% to $377.3 million, and the net interest margin expanded 16 basis points to 3.20%, supporting profitability. Associated Banc Q3 financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return and core customer momentum: The bank repurchased $100 million of common stock during the quarter, while core customer deposits increased by $700 million. Buybacks can support EPS and signal management confidence in the company’s valuation. Associated Banc long-term investor takeaways
• Positive Sentiment: Higher RBC price target: Royal Bank of Canada raised its target for ASB from $33 to $34 while maintaining a “sector perform” rating. The increase suggests improved valuation support, although the unchanged rating indicates limited expectations for outperformance relative to peers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Credit quality and expenses remain important watch items: Associated Banc separately disclosed third-quarter net charge-offs, while noninterest expense included $13 million of acquisition-related nonrecurring costs. Investors will assess whether credit costs and integration expenses remain controlled in coming quarters. Associated Banc net charge-offs announcement

Insider Buying and Selling at Associated Banc

In related news, EVP Gregory Warsek sold 16,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.01, for a total value of $521,763.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $442,026.09. This represents a 54.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nicole M. Kitowski sold 7,663 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.91, for a total value of $236,863.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,327 shares in the company, valued at $1,401,057.57. This represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 78,833 shares of company stock worth $2,502,103 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Associated Banc Profile

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.