Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) Director John Williams Sells 4,000 Shares

Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) Director John Williams sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total value of $112,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 67,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,899,895.60. This represents a 5.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Associated Banc Stock Performance

NYSE:ASB opened at $27.86 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.35. Associated Banc-Corp has a 1 year low of $21.61 and a 1 year high of $29.51. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.77.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.01. Associated Banc had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 19.88%.The business had revenue of $387.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $384.20 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Associated Banc-Corp will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Associated Banc declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the bank to repurchase up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Associated Banc Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Associated Banc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ASB shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Associated Banc in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Associated Banc from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Associated Banc from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Associated Banc from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.30.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Associated Banc

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IAG Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Associated Banc by 4,250.0% during the first quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,218 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,190 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Associated Banc by 3.5% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 33,584 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $868,000 after buying an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Burney Co. boosted its stake in Associated Banc by 15.6% during the first quarter. Burney Co. now owns 56,238 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after buying an additional 7,574 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Associated Banc during the first quarter valued at $249,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Associated Banc during the first quarter valued at $232,000. Institutional investors own 82.98% of the company’s stock.

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.