Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.00.

A number of research firms have recently commented on ASB. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Associated Banc from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Associated Banc from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Associated Banc in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Associated Banc from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Associated Banc Price Performance

ASB traded up $0.33 during trading on Monday, reaching $25.05. 914,119 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,546,752. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.88. Associated Banc has a 12-month low of $19.72 and a 12-month high of $28.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.62. The company has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.70, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.94.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 8.24% and a net margin of 5.15%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Associated Banc will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Associated Banc Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.67%. Associated Banc's payout ratio is 116.46%.

Institutional Trading of Associated Banc

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 221.0% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,499 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,747 shares of the bank's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the fourth quarter valued at $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.98% of the company's stock.

About Associated Banc

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.