Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for Associated Banc

Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Associated Banc in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, January 23rd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the bank will earn $0.52 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.51. The consensus estimate for Associated Banc’s current full-year earnings is $2.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Associated Banc’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.63 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.26 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.59 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.63 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.65 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.48 EPS.

ASB has been the topic of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Associated Banc from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Associated Banc from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Associated Banc from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.67.

Associated Banc Stock Performance

Associated Banc stock opened at $25.09 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $25.22 and a 200-day moving average of $23.44. The stock has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.94. Associated Banc has a 52 week low of $19.40 and a 52 week high of $28.18.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.04. Associated Banc had a return on equity of 8.18% and a net margin of 8.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Associated Banc

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Associated Banc by 291.3% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,563,274 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,063,000 after purchasing an additional 1,163,807 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Associated Banc by 315.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 540,057 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $12,907,000 after acquiring an additional 410,118 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Associated Banc by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 3,036,239 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $65,401,000 after purchasing an additional 305,133 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Associated Banc in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $6,082,000. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Associated Banc by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,230,340 shares of the bank’s stock worth $177,282,000 after purchasing an additional 261,877 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Associated Banc

In related news, EVP David L. Stein sold 29,536 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.43, for a total value of $810,172.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 81,021 shares in the company, valued at $2,222,406.03. This represents a 26.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John A. Utz sold 19,044 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.19, for a total transaction of $460,674.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 100,204 shares in the company, valued at $2,423,934.76. This trade represents a 15.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.45% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Associated Banc Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This is a boost from Associated Banc’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Associated Banc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.67%.

Associated Banc Company Profile

Associated Banc-Corp, a bank holding company, provides various banking and nonbanking products to individuals and businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The company offers lending solutions, including commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction loans, letters of credit, leasing, asset based lending and equipment finance, loan syndications products, residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, auto finance and business loans, and business lines of credit.