Castleark Management LLC Buys 21,850 Shares of Associated Banc-Corp $ASB

Castleark Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) by 7.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 311,423 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 21,850 shares during the quarter. Castleark Management LLC owned 0.19% of Associated Banc worth $8,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ASB. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the 1st quarter worth about $5,490,000. Caxton Associates LLP grew its holdings in Associated Banc by 687.5% during the 1st quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 80,471 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,081,000 after purchasing an additional 70,252 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Associated Banc by 134.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 433,405 shares of the bank’s stock worth $11,208,000 after purchasing an additional 248,265 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Associated Banc in the 1st quarter worth about $134,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in Associated Banc by 41.3% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,882 shares of the bank’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 6,099 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Associated Banc

In related news, EVP Dennis Deloye sold 14,299 shares of Associated Banc stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.26, for a total value of $404,089.74. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,385 shares in the company, valued at $604,340.10. The trade was a 40.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John A. Utz sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.82, for a total transaction of $144,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,405,255.92. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 28,299 shares of company stock valued at $801,760 over the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Associated Banc Price Performance

Associated Banc stock opened at $30.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $29.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.82. Associated Banc-Corp has a 1 year low of $23.63 and a 1 year high of $31.83.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The bank reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $450.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $438.01 million. Associated Banc had a net margin of 19.66% and a return on equity of 10.64%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Associated Banc-Corp will post 2.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Associated Banc Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Associated Banc’s payout ratio is 33.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Associated Banc from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Associated Banc from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Associated Banc in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Associated Banc from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Associated Banc from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Associated Banc

Here are the key news stories impacting Associated Banc this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ASB reported adjusted Q2 EPS of $0.73, slightly ahead of the $0.72 consensus, while revenue of $450.4 million also beat estimates. The beat suggests the bank is executing well operationally. Associated Banc-Corp (ASB) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Net interest income, fee income, loans, and deposits all improved year over year, signaling healthier underlying business momentum and better revenue generation. Associated Banc-Corp Q2 Earnings Beat as NII, Fee Income Improve Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Management said it targets 18%–20% loan growth in 2026 and plans to resume share repurchases in the second half, both of which are supportive of future earnings per share and shareholder returns.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several follow-up articles and the earnings call transcript highlighted strong loan growth and strategic initiatives, but these were largely reiterations of the earnings release rather than new market-moving developments.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock had already moved higher into the earnings release and is now trading near its 52-week high, which may limit upside if investors begin to focus on execution versus valuation.

Associated Banc Company Profile

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.