Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB - Free Report) by 87.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,997,553 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 933,062 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 1.32% of Associated Banc worth $47,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Associated Banc by 221.0% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,499 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Associated Banc by 49.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,747 shares of the bank's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Associated Banc during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Associated Banc in the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.98% of the company's stock.

Associated Banc Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE ASB traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $22.35. 140,534 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,528,822. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.28, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50 day moving average of $21.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.89. Associated Banc-Corp has a 52-week low of $18.32 and a 52-week high of $28.18.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $348.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $347.86 million. Associated Banc had a net margin of 5.15% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Associated Banc-Corp will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ASB shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $29.00 to $27.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Associated Banc from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stephens reduced their target price on Associated Banc from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price target on Associated Banc from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Associated Banc from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $26.00.

Insider Transactions at Associated Banc

In other news, Director Eileen A. Kamerick sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.71, for a total value of $172,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 49,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,223,021.45. This represents a 12.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John B. Williams sold 2,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.09, for a total transaction of $71,004.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 66,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,678,897.35. This represents a 4.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.45% of the company's stock.

About Associated Banc

Associated Banc-Corp, a bank holding company, provides various banking and nonbanking products to individuals and businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The company offers lending solutions, including commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction loans, letters of credit, leasing, asset based lending and equipment finance, loan syndications products, residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, auto finance and business loans, and business lines of credit.