ConnectOne Bancorp (NASDAQ:CNOB) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.09 EPS

ConnectOne Bancorp (NASDAQ:CNOB) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.09, FiscalAI reports. ConnectOne Bancorp had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 9.59%. The firm had revenue of $114.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.80 million.

Here are the key takeaways from ConnectOne Bancorp’s conference call:

• ConnectOne completed and integrated its largest acquisition, finishing 2025 with $14 billion in assets and a market cap above $1.4 billion, including a full systems conversion within two weeks.
• Deposit quality materially improved — non‑interest‑bearing deposits rose from 17% to >21% and brokerage funding fell from 12% to 6%, reducing funding cost and volatility.
• Net interest margin widened this quarter and management expects further improvement (in the low 330s bps in Q1), with sensitivities of ~5 bps per 25 bps Fed cut and additional quarterly gains from loan repricing toward a year‑end 335–340 bps range.
• Loan growth is expected to be modest at approximately 3%–5% as robust originations (about $600M pipeline at a 6.2% weighted rate) are offset by elevated payoffs and refinancings.
• Capital and returns strengthened — tangible common equity rose to 8.62% and tangible book value is $23.52, positioning the bank to raise dividends, pursue opportunistic buybacks, or engage in M&A as it approaches a ~9% TCE target.

ConnectOne Bancorp Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:CNOB opened at $26.62 on Friday. ConnectOne Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $20.61 and a fifty-two week high of $29.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.33. The company has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 1.13.

ConnectOne Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. ConnectOne Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 58.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ConnectOne Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNOB. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of ConnectOne Bancorp by 76.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,882,584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,517,000 after buying an additional 1,252,614 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in ConnectOne Bancorp by 4.8% in the third quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 320,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,962,000 after acquiring an additional 14,779 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in ConnectOne Bancorp by 1.2% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 262,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of ConnectOne Bancorp by 32.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 195,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,533,000 after purchasing an additional 47,674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConnectOne Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $4,180,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded ConnectOne Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ConnectOne Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of ConnectOne Bancorp in a report on Friday, November 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $28.00 target price on the stock. Hovde Group reduced their price target on shares of ConnectOne Bancorp from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of ConnectOne Bancorp from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ConnectOne Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.67.

Key Headlines Impacting ConnectOne Bancorp

Here are the key news stories impacting ConnectOne Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat on the bottom line: EPS $0.83 vs. $0.74 expected; net interest margin widened and the company reported continued asset growth including a ~$14B asset milestone and solid credit trends — supports earnings momentum. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $32 and keeps an “Outperform” rating — implies roughly 20% upside from current levels and is supportive of the stock. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared: quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per share (annualized yield ~2.6%), with record/ex-dividend dates announced — supports income-focused investors and reduces downside. Dividend/Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst note with small trim: Hovde Group trimmed its price target to $32.00 from $32.50 but maintained an “Outperform” rating — a modest tweak rather than a bearish call.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was essentially flat versus expectations ($114.63M reported vs. ~$114.8M consensus) — underlying business activity appears stable but not clearly accelerating. Earnings Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares are trading down on the session despite the EPS beat — likely reflecting profit-taking and the market digesting mixed signals (earnings beat vs. revenue slight miss and only modest upside from some analysts).

ConnectOne Bancorp Company Profile

ConnectOne Bancorp is a New Jersey‐based bank holding company whose primary subsidiary, ConnectOne Bank, offers a suite of commercial banking services to small and medium‐sized businesses, professionals and individuals. Established in 2005 and headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, the company seeks to deliver customized lending and deposit solutions through a network of branches across northern New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area.

The company’s lending portfolio centers on commercial real estate financing, construction lending, owner‐occupied real estate loans and working capital lines of credit.