Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased its price target on Civista Bancshares (NASDAQ:CIVB) to $28.00 from $27.00 on Friday and left its Outperform rating intact. The upward revision followed quarterly results that outpaced the research firm's above-consensus expectations.
The firm pointed to Civista's fourth-quarter operating earnings per share of $0.74, which topped Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' internal forecast. KBW noted the quarter may have included some modeling noise associated with Civista's acquisition of Farmers Savings Bank in early November, but still identified positive performance drivers across the business.
Core pre-provision net revenue exceeded the firm's estimate by $0.07, with upside reported across all major revenue line items. KBW also recorded a lower-than-expected provision for loan losses, a favorable development that contributed to the beat. In trading on Thursday, Civista shares outperformed the KRX index by roughly 4% following the results and commentary.
Management's public guidance reinforced the upbeat reception: Civista projects mid-single-digit loan growth and anticipates further expansion of its net interest margin during the first half of 2026. Despite those forward-looking comments, KBW said it modestly trimmed its estimates to reflect a conservative stance on noninterest income and expense assumptions, but maintained that the stock presents attractive value for shareholders.
Separately, Civista Bancshares reported fourth-quarter 2025 results that exceeded consensus analyst estimates. The company recorded reported earnings per share of $0.75 versus a forecast of $0.62. Revenue for the quarter came in at $46.33 million, ahead of an expected $45.27 million. These reported figures align with the view that the company delivered a stronger-than-anticipated quarter.
Analysts' lower initial projections were surpassed by Civista's results, and the earnings release was followed by an uptick in investor optimism. Taken together, the operating EPS beat cited by KBW, the favorable core revenue and provision dynamics, and the reported EPS and revenue beats underpin the research firm's decision to raise the target price while keeping an Outperform rating.
Context note: The company cited an acquisition in early November that may have introduced some modeling differences in the quarter; KBW adjusted modeling conservatively in some noninterest income and expense lines but continued to view Civista as offering shareholder value.