Associated Banc's (ASB) Equal Weight Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "equal weight" rating restated by equities researchers at Stephens in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $28.00 target price on the bank's stock. Stephens' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 11.62% from the company's current price.

ASB has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Associated Banc in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays raised their price target on Associated Banc from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird decreased 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 report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $26.67.

Associated Banc Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ASB traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $25.09. 2,530,010 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,248,753. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $25.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Associated Banc has a 12 month low of $19.40 and a 12 month high of $28.18.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.04. Associated Banc had a net margin of 8.15% and a return on equity of 8.18%. On average, equities analysts expect that Associated Banc will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Associated Banc

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Trust Point Inc. raised its holdings in Associated Banc by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 46,083 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 5,111 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Associated Banc in the fourth quarter worth about $343,000. EMC Capital Management lifted its holdings in Associated Banc by 13,834.5% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 27,869 shares of the bank's stock worth $666,000 after buying an additional 27,669 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Associated Banc during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. 82.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.