Vest Financial LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Nicolet Bankshares Inc. $NIC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC reduced its stake in Nicolet Bankshares by 29.4%, selling 9,588 shares and finishing the quarter with 22,974 shares valued at about $2.79 million (≈0.16% ownership).
• Nicolet missed quarterly EPS estimates—reporting $2.75 vs. the expected $2.98—while revenue beat ($134.85M vs. $129.74M), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.36 (annualized $1.44, ~1.0% yield).

Vest Financial LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Nicolet Bankshares Inc. (NYSE:NIC - Free Report) by 29.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,974 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,588 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.16% of Nicolet Bankshares worth $2,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Nicolet Bankshares by 3,940.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 202 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in Nicolet Bankshares during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Nicolet Bankshares by 45.1% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 589 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in Nicolet Bankshares during the third quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Nicolet Bankshares during the second quarter valued at approximately $133,000. 43.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nicolet Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NIC opened at $144.16 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $150.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.90 and a beta of 0.74. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. has a 1 year low of $114.11 and a 1 year high of $163.11.

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($0.23). Nicolet Bankshares had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 21.89%.The company had revenue of $134.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $129.74 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Nicolet Bankshares Inc. will post 11.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nicolet Bankshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a positive change from Nicolet Bankshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Nicolet Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NIC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Nicolet Bankshares from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Hovde Group cut their price target on Nicolet Bankshares from $190.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Maxim Group boosted their price target on Nicolet Bankshares from $161.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Nicolet Bankshares from $185.00 to $183.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Nicolet Bankshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.50.

Insider Activity at Nicolet Bankshares

In related news, Director Robert Bruce Atwell sold 3,309 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.82, for a total value of $495,754.38. Following the sale, the director directly owned 34,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,970.28. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 13,036 shares of company stock valued at $1,992,022 in the last quarter. 7.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Nicolet Bankshares

Nicolet Bankshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Through its subsidiary, Nicolet National Bank, it provides a range of commercial and consumer banking services to businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations across northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The company's branch network, digital banking platform and commercial lending centers support its focus on community banking and regional growth.

The company offers deposit products such as checking, savings and money market accounts, alongside consumer and commercial lending solutions.

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