Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Makes New $2.05 Million Investment in Associated Banc-Corp $ASB

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 15th, 2026

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 66,560 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $2,048,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ASB. Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Associated Banc by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 77,334 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,380,000 after buying an additional 8,003 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Associated Banc in the second quarter valued at about $30,927,000. Prodigy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Associated Banc in the second quarter valued at about $315,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Associated Banc by 60.9% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the bank’s stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 5,215 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Associated Banc in the second quarter worth about $458,000. Institutional investors own 82.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Associated Banc

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

Positive Sentiment: Near-term earnings estimates improved. Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $2.95 from $2.92, and increased estimates for Q3 2026 to $0.75 from $0.74 and Q1 2027 to $0.76 from $0.75. These revisions suggest somewhat better expected operating performance in the nearer term. Associated Banc stock information
Positive Sentiment: Dividend supports investor demand. Associated Banc declared a quarterly dividend of $0.24, or $0.96 annualized, representing an approximately 3.0% yield and a payout ratio of about 33.6%. The bank’s latest quarterly results also exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.73 versus the $0.72 consensus estimate and revenue of $454.5 million versus forecasts of $438.0 million.
Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains strong. Several large investors, including Goldman Sachs, Millennium Management and UBS Asset Management, increased their positions during the first half of the year. Institutions and hedge funds own approximately 83% of ASB’s shares.
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is broadly constructive but valuation appears near targets. The consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” although the average price target of $31.60 is below the stock’s recent trading level. Wells Fargo raised its target to $36 and maintained an “overweight” rating, while other analysts remain at “hold” or “market perform.”
Negative Sentiment: Longer-term earnings expectations were reduced. Zacks cut its Q2 2028 EPS estimate to $0.84 from $0.94 and lowered FY2028 EPS to $3.35 from $3.56. It also trimmed Q1 2028 and Q2 2027 forecasts, partially offsetting the near-term upgrades. Zacks Associated Banc estimates
Negative Sentiment: Executives sold significant portions of their holdings. EVP Gregory Warsek sold 16,300 shares for approximately $521,763, reducing his position by 54.1%. EVP Randall Erickson sold 43,561 shares worth about $1.40 million, cutting his ownership by 43.7%. While insider sales can reflect personal financial planning, the size of these transactions may weigh on sentiment. Associated Banc insider sales

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on ASB. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Associated Banc from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of Associated Banc from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Associated Banc in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Associated Banc from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.60.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ASB

Associated Banc Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE ASB opened at $32.35 on Friday. Associated Banc-Corp has a 1-year low of $23.86 and a 1-year high of $32.46. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $30.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The bank reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.01. Associated Banc had a return on equity of 10.64% and a net margin of 19.66%.The company had revenue of $454.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $438.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Associated Banc-Corp will post 2.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Associated Banc Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Associated Banc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Nicole M. Kitowski sold 7,663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.91, for a total transaction of $236,863.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,327 shares in the company, valued at $1,401,057.57. The trade was a 14.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Gregory Warsek sold 16,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.01, for a total transaction of $521,763.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $442,026.09. The trade was a 54.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 101,823 shares of company stock worth $3,150,761. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Associated Banc Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.