Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) Stock Price

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) had its price objective upped by Royal Bank Of Canada from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the bank’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Associated Banc from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays cut their price objective on Associated Banc from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $30.00 target price (up previously from $29.00) on shares of Associated Banc in a report on Monday, October 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.10.

Associated Banc Price Performance

Shares of Associated Banc stock opened at $26.47 on Friday. The firm 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 has a twelve month low of $18.32 and a twelve month high of $28.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $26.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.79.

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

Associated Banc Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Associated Banc

In other news, EVP Patrick Edward Ahern sold 30,489 shares of Associated Banc 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,055 shares in the company, valued at $618,213.50. The trade was a 55.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John A. Utz sold 2,135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.41, for a total transaction of $56,385.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 109,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,900,927.22. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,951 shares of company stock valued at $925,756. Insiders own 1.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Associated Banc

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ASB. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 154,933 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,779,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Associated Banc by 46.8% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Associated Banc by 0.5% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 80,677 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,074,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in Associated Banc by 2.0% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 27,354 shares of the bank’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its position in Associated Banc by 6.2% in the second quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 12,103 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the period. 82.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines 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

About Associated Banc

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.