Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for CBSH Earnings

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBSH) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Commerce Bancshares in a research report issued on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $0.89 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.91. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Commerce Bancshares’ current full-year earnings is $3.94 per share.

Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ:CBSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.02. Commerce Bancshares had a net margin of 26.51% and a return on equity of 15.51%. The company had revenue of $449.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $442.47 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. Commerce Bancshares’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Commerce Bancshares in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Commerce Bancshares from $61.90 to $57.14 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Commerce Bancshares from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $62.00 price target on shares of Commerce Bancshares and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Commerce Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Commerce Bancshares Stock Performance

CBSH stock opened at $53.60 on Monday. Commerce Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $48.69 and a fifty-two week high of $63.87. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $53.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.34. The company has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.62.

Commerce Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Commerce Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.25%.

Insider Activity at Commerce Bancshares

In other Commerce Bancshares news, SVP Derrick Brooks sold 1,044 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.40, for a total transaction of $56,793.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $793,424. This trade represents a 6.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP David L. Roller sold 1,134 shares of Commerce Bancshares stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.48, for a total value of $61,780.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 30,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,663,546.80. The trade was a 3.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 27,667 shares of company stock valued at $1,493,323 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Commerce Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Commerce Bancshares by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,690,039 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $768,877,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,142 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Commerce Bancshares by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,318,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $383,071,000 after buying an additional 566,853 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Commerce Bancshares by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 5,660,823 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $296,287,000 after buying an additional 369,636 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Commerce Bancshares by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,972,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $237,420,000 after buying an additional 202,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Commerce Bancshares by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,049,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $159,597,000 after acquiring an additional 406,063 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Commerce Bancshares News

Here are the key news stories impacting Commerce Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Commerce reported a modest earnings beat in its most recent quarter (EPS $1.01 vs. $0.99 consensus) and revenue growth year-over-year, supporting underlying profitability and return-on-equity metrics — a tailwind for the share price. MarketBeat: CBSH
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple filings report a large “increase” in short interest for February, but the published figures show 0 shares and NaN changes — indicating a likely data glitch or reporting lag. Current published days-to-cover is 0.0, so don’t read this as confirmed rising short pressure until corrected exchange/clearing data appear. MarketBeat: CBSH
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage: a Zacks piece comparing UMB Financial (UMBF) and CBSH can influence relative flows among Midwest bank stocks as investors rotate to perceived better values. Readers may use it to reassess positioning versus peers. UMBF vs. CBSH
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued a broad set of lower EPS estimates across FY2026–FY2028 and assigned a “Strong Sell” rating, trimming quarterly and annual forecasts materially versus prior calls. Those downward revisions and a negative stance from a known research house are likely putting immediate pressure on the stock and can influence short-term flows and sentiment. MarketBeat: CBSH (Zacks notes)

About Commerce Bancshares

Commerce Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company primarily engaged in providing a broad range of banking and financial services across the Midwest. Through its principal subsidiary, Commerce Bank, the company offers commercial and consumer banking, treasury management, trust and wealth advisory, and mortgage lending. Its diversified product suite includes deposit and loan products, cash management solutions, capital markets services, and private banking designed to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses, and large corporations.

The company’s commercial banking group delivers tailored credit facilities, equipment and inventory financing, asset-based lending, and merchant services.