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On Thursday, Piper Sandler initiated coverage of Park National Corporation (NYSE:PRK) with a Neutral rating and a price target of $185.50. The research firm’s valuation is based on 18.0 times the estimated earnings per share (EPS) for 2025, in addition to $19 of excess capital. This target aligns with the stock’s historical trend of trading at approximately a 1.5 times premium compared to its high-performing peers, which typically trade at 16.7 times. According to InvestingPro data, the company has demonstrated strong financial health with an overall score of 2.55 (GOOD), particularly excelling in profitability metrics.
Park National, headquartered in Newark, Ohio, boasts $9.8 billion in assets and operates 86 banking offices across Ohio, Kentucky, and the Carolinas. Piper Sandler recognizes Park National as a top-performing small to mid-cap (SMID cap) bank, citing its consistently above-average profitability, high-quality and low-cost deposit base, and strong credit profile. The firm also notes Park National’s low-to-mid single-digit growth outlooks for organic loans and deposits, which are supported by a relationship-based business model. InvestingPro data reveals the company has maintained dividend payments for 39 consecutive years, with current revenue of $506 million and a healthy 9.3% revenue growth in the last twelve months.Want deeper insights? InvestingPro subscribers have access to over 30 additional financial metrics and analysis tools.
The bank’s premium valuation multiples are attributed to these positive attributes and its excess capital, which is expected to support mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that could enhance future EPS growth. Despite these strengths, Piper Sandler mentions that there are limited catalysts that could drive the valuation premium higher, and the visibility of excess capital deployment is not clear.
In other recent news, Park National reported operating earnings of $2.27 per share, exceeding analyst expectations. This earnings beat was driven by stronger revenues and higher expenses, despite being partially offset by an increased provision for loan losses and a higher tax rate. The bank’s net interest margin improved by 6 basis points to 4.51% during the quarter. Additionally, Park National experienced solid loan growth of 4% and a 2% increase in deposits on a linked quarter annualized basis. Analyst Damon DelMonte from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods adjusted the price target for Park National shares to $178 from $187, while maintaining a Market Perform rating. DelMonte also noted a more optimistic outlook for the bank’s net interest income projections, with an increased forecast for fee income. However, the analyst cautioned about higher expected expenses and a slightly increased provision for loan losses. The adjustments resulted in a 2% and 3% increase in earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026, respectively.
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