South Plains Financial (NASDAQ:SPFI) Given New $49.00 Price Target at Hovde Group

South Plains Financial (NASDAQ:SPFI) had its target price increased by Hovde Group from $47.00 to $49.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Hovde Group currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of South Plains Financial in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on South Plains Financial from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of South Plains Financial in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on South Plains Financial from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, South Plains Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.00.

South Plains Financial Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:SPFI opened at $40.41 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $656.58 million, a PE ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. South Plains Financial has a one year low of $30.01 and a one year high of $43.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $39.55 and a 200-day moving average of $38.96.

South Plains Financial (NASDAQ:SPFI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. South Plains Financial had a return on equity of 12.75% and a net margin of 19.69%.The firm had revenue of $53.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.11 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that South Plains Financial will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

South Plains Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a boost from South Plains Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. South Plains Financial’s payout ratio is presently 19.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On South Plains Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of South Plains Financial by 29.9% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 634 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of South Plains Financial by 138.8% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 1,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of South Plains Financial by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 106,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,143,000 after buying an additional 26,767 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in South Plains Financial by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of South Plains Financial by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 380,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,725,000 after purchasing an additional 34,420 shares in the last quarter. 54.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting South Plains Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting South Plains Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hovde Group raised its price target to $49 and assigned an “outperform” — signaling about ~21% upside from current levels and providing analyst support for the stock’s longer‑term upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Full‑year 2025 results showed material improvement: net income rose to $58.5M and diluted EPS increased to $3.44 (vs $2.92 in 2024), tangible book value per share grew >14% — reinforcing capital strength and earnings power. Full year and Q4 results (Quiver)
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects to accelerate loan growth to a mid‑to‑high single‑digit rate in 2026 and is advancing expansion in Houston via the BOH/Bank of Houston deal — a growth catalyst if executed and approved. Loan growth & expansion (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus ($0.90 vs $0.84) while revenue was roughly in line to slightly below expectations — a classic “beat but mixed” release that limits decisive reaction either way. Earnings summary & materials (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the earnings presentation and full call transcript for investors; slides and commentary contain additional color on margins, deposit costs, and acquisition rationale for BOH. Earnings call transcript (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly headwinds: Q4 net income and diluted EPS were down versus the prior quarter and year‑ago quarter (QoQ EPS decline to $0.90 from $0.96), noninterest income — particularly mortgage banking revenue — fell, and provisions rose modestly; investors may be penalizing the sequential softness. Q4 results & press release (Business Insider)
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling was reported (recent open‑market sales), which can weigh on investor sentiment even though company fundamentals remain solid. Insider activity noted (Quiver)

About South Plains Financial

South Plains Financial, Inc is the bank holding company for South Plains Bank, a community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. The company operates as a full-service commercial bank, providing a broad spectrum of banking solutions to individuals, small businesses and agricultural clients. Its principal subsidiary, South Plains Bank, holds state and national banking charters and is subject to regulatory oversight by the Federal Reserve and various state banking authorities.

The company’s product offerings include traditional deposit accounts such as checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as time deposits.