Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) Stock Price

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) had its price objective hoisted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a market perform rating on the bank’s stock.

ASB has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Associated Banc in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $29.00 target price on shares of Associated Banc in a report on Monday, January 12th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $30.00 price objective (up previously from $29.00) on shares of Associated Banc in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Associated Banc in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.10.

Associated Banc Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ASB opened at $26.47 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $26.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.79. Associated Banc has a 1-year low of $18.32 and a 1-year high of $28.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a PE ratio of 9.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.79.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.11. Associated Banc had a net margin of 19.31% and a return on equity of 10.36%. The company had revenue of $393.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $382.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Associated Banc will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Associated Banc Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This is a positive change from Associated Banc’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Associated Banc’s dividend payout ratio is 102.13%.

Insider Activity at Associated Banc

In other Associated Banc news, EVP Patrick Edward Ahern sold 30,489 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.70, for a total transaction of $783,567.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $618,213.50. This trade represents a 55.90% 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 John A. Utz sold 2,135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.41, for a total value of $56,385.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 109,842 shares in the company, valued at $2,900,927.22. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 35,951 shares of company stock valued at $925,756 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Associated Banc

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Burney Co. raised its holdings in Associated Banc by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 48,664 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 1,836 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Associated Banc by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 32,092 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $827,000 after buying an additional 3,121 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the fourth quarter worth $52,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Associated Banc in the 4th quarter valued at about $11,659,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Associated Banc by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 60,295 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,620,000 after purchasing an additional 3,639 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Associated Banc

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: ASB posted GAAP EPS of $0.80 and revenue roughly $393–389M (beats consensus), with improving credit metrics and lower provisions — a clear earnings beat. Zacks: ASB Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Record annual results: Associated Banc reported record 2025 net income available to common equity of $463M ($2.77/share), signaling stronger full‑year profitability. PR Newswire: Record 2025 Net Income
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted price targets to $30 from $27–29 (RBC, Piper Sandler, Keefe/Bruyette & Woods), implying ~13% upside; the raises provide support for the stock. The Fly: RBC PT Raise The Fly: Piper PT Raise Benzinga: KBW/Other Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed coverage and transcripts available: investors can review the earnings call transcript and Q4 snapshots to check guidance, expense outlook and credit commentary. Yahoo: Earnings Call Transcript SeattlePI: Q4 Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts retained neutral/sector‑perform/market‑perform ratings despite higher targets, which may limit buying momentum and help explain the stock’s decline today. The Fly: Analyst Ratings

Associated Banc Company Profile

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.