Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on MCB. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Metropolitan Bank in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Metropolitan Bank from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $92.00.

Metropolitan Bank Stock Down 5.6%

Shares of NYSE:MCB opened at $89.60 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $78.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Metropolitan Bank has a 12-month low of $47.08 and a 12-month high of $96.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $922.90 million, a P/E ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 1.13.

Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.70. Metropolitan Bank had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 13.49%.The firm had revenue of $88.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $83.15 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Metropolitan Bank will post 7.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Metropolitan Bank Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 27th. This is a positive change from Metropolitan Bank’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Metropolitan Bank’s payout ratio is 9.02%.

Insider Activity

In other Metropolitan Bank news, CFO Daniel F. Dougherty acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $71.66 per share, with a total value of $71,660.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 27,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,959,256.06. The trade was a 3.80% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nick Rosenberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total value of $112,762.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,839 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,330,936.19. This represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have bought a total of 1,167 shares of company stock valued at $83,010 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Metropolitan Bank

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Metropolitan Bank by 0.3% in the third quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 69,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,226,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Metropolitan Bank by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Metropolitan Bank by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 18,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,277,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Metropolitan Bank by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Metropolitan Bank by 7.7% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.83% of the company’s stock.

More Metropolitan Bank News

Here are the key news stories impacting Metropolitan Bank this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat and upward estimate revisions — MCB reported a solid Q4 (EPS beat and revenue above expectations) and analysts have revised earnings higher, supporting momentum and buy interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price target — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target from $90 to $105 and maintained an “outperform” rating, and Zacks upgraded MCB to Strong Buy, which can attract model-driven and institutional buying. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase announced — Management raised the quarterly dividend to $0.20 (from $0.15), a sign of confidence in cash flow and capital flexibility. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management guidance targets growth — Management disclosed plans for ~12% loan growth, modest NIM expansion and branch expansion in 2026, supporting revenue and margin upside expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Transcripts and call materials available — Earnings call transcripts and write‑ups (MSN, Seeking Alpha, Yahoo/TipRanks) provide detail on margin drivers and capital plans but largely reiterate the beats and guidance. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership and hedge‑fund activity — Several funds have adjusted stakes (some buys reported), which supports liquidity and may stabilize longer‑term interest. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling — EVP Nick Rosenberg sold 1,250 shares (disclosed in an SEC filing), a small but visible insider sale that can trigger short‑term selling or be read as management monetizing gains. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Price run to a 12‑month high may prompt profit‑taking — The stock recently hit a new 12‑month high after the earnings beat, increasing the likelihood of short‑term profit rotation. Read More.

About Metropolitan Bank

Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB), through its principal subsidiary Metropolitan Commercial Bank, operates as a New York–based regional financial institution providing a range of commercial and consumer banking services. The company offers deposit products including checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as business and personal certificates of deposit. On the lending side, Metropolitan Bank extends commercial real estate financing, equipment loans, working capital lines of credit and consumer installment loans tailored to the needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises and individual customers.

In addition to traditional deposit and lending services, Metropolitan Bank provides specialized treasury and cash-management solutions, foreign exchange services and letters of credit for both domestic businesses and multinational clients.