Piper Sandler Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Community Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:CTBI) Stock Price

Key Points

• Piper Sandler cut Community Trust Bancorp’s price target from $81 to $75 and maintained a neutral rating, though the new target implies roughly 9.8% upside from the prior close.
• Community Trust Bancorp reported third-quarter EPS of $1.43, missing the $1.65 consensus estimate, while revenue of $79.7 million also came in slightly below expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive overall, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.50; however, the provision for credit losses rose sharply to $9.2 million, signaling increased credit-risk concerns.

Community Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:CTBI - Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $81.00 to $75.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Piper Sandler's price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.76% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Community Trust Bancorp from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Community Trust Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $78.50.

Community Trust Bancorp Price Performance

CTBI opened at $68.33 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Community Trust Bancorp has a 12 month low of $50.25 and a 12 month high of $79.92. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.92. The stock has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45 and a beta of 0.54.

Community Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:CTBI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $79.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.20 million. Community Trust Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 25.55%. On average, research analysts expect that Community Trust Bancorp will post 6.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Community Trust Bancorp

In other news, Director Franky Minnifield sold 3,900 shares of Community Trust Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.85, for a total value of $307,515.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,320 shares in the company, valued at $656,032. This trade represents a 31.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Community Trust Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Community Trust Bancorp in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Community Trust Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Community Trust Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $71,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Community Trust Bancorp by 36.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,359 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Community Trust Bancorp by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.20% of the company's stock.

Key Community Trust Bancorp News

Here are the key news stories impacting Community Trust Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter net income increased to $25.9 million, or $1.43 per diluted share, from $23.9 million, or $1.33 per share, a year earlier. Net interest income rose 9.9% year over year, noninterest income increased 16.9%, and total loans grew by $177.9 million during the quarter. Community Trust Bancorp Reports $25.9 Million Third-Quarter 2026 Net Income
• Positive Sentiment: Noninterest expenses fell 2.4% from the prior quarter, while deposits, including repurchase agreements, reached approximately $6.0 billion. These trends point to continued balance-sheet growth and expense control. Community Trust Bancorp Reports $25.9 Million Third-Quarter 2026 Net Income
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership activity was mixed, with several large investors adding shares and others reducing positions. The data provides no clear near-term directional signal for CTBI. Community Trust Bancorp Reports $25.9 Million Third-Quarter 2026 Net Income
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share missed the $1.65 consensus estimate by $0.22, while revenue of $79.7 million was slightly below the $80.2 million estimate. The earnings shortfall was the primary catalyst for the stock’s weakness. Community Trust Bancorp Lags Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: The provision for credit losses surged to $9.2 million, up $6.4 million from the second quarter. Investors may view the increase, along with reported third-quarter charge-offs, as evidence of rising credit risk and pressure on future profitability. Community Trust Bancorp Reports Charge Offs for the Third Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announced an investigation into potential securities-law violations related to company disclosures. The investigation is preliminary and does not establish wrongdoing, but it adds headline and litigation risk for investors. Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Investigation

About Community Trust Bancorp

Community Trust Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Pikeville, Kentucky. Through its principal subsidiary, Community Trust Bank, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, businesses and organizations.

Its products and services include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and mortgage loans, commercial lending, agricultural financing and other credit products. Community Trust also offers trust and wealth-management services, investment products, insurance and digital banking tools.

Community Trust Bank traces its history to 1903 and has developed a regional banking network serving communities primarily throughout eastern and central Kentucky, as well as portions of southern West Virginia.

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