Nicolet Bankshares Inc. $NIC Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lessened its holdings in Nicolet Bankshares Inc. (NYSE:NIC - Free Report) by 8.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 319,515 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,179 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 2.12% of Nicolet Bankshares worth $34,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. boosted its holdings in Nicolet Bankshares by 5.5% in the first quarter. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. now owns 888,335 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,793,000 after acquiring an additional 45,950 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Nicolet Bankshares by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 745,270 shares of the company's stock worth $81,205,000 after purchasing an additional 8,147 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Nicolet Bankshares by 0.9% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 234,523 shares of the company's stock worth $25,554,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Nicolet Bankshares by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 180,218 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,907,000 after acquiring an additional 8,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners bought a new position in Nicolet Bankshares during the 1st quarter valued at $15,303,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.06% of the company's stock.

Nicolet Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NIC traded down $1.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $134.39. 49,139 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 55,131. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. has a one year low of $90.07 and a one year high of $141.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $132.71 and a 200 day moving average of $121.82.

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $95.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.89 million. Nicolet Bankshares had a return on equity of 11.48% and a net margin of 25.12%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Nicolet Bankshares Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nicolet Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Nicolet Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NIC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $122.50) on shares of Nicolet Bankshares in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Nicolet Bankshares from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Maxim Group lifted their price target on Nicolet Bankshares from $131.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Nicolet Bankshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $145.33.

Insider Activity at Nicolet Bankshares

In related news, Director Robert Bruce Atwell sold 6,904 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.47, for a total transaction of $962,900.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 34,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,772,663.40. This trade represents a 16.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric James Witczak sold 5,000 shares of Nicolet Bankshares stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $698,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 28,901 shares in the company, valued at $4,039,492.77. This represents a 14.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,056 shares of company stock valued at $2,096,949 in the last 90 days. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Nicolet Bankshares Company Profile

Nicolet Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Nicolet National Bank that provides banking products and services for businesses and individuals in Wisconsin and Michigan. The company accepts checking, savings, and money market accounts; various certificates of deposit; and individual retirement accounts.