Wrapping up Q3 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the regional banks stocks, including OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ: OCFC) and its peers.

Regional banks, financial institutions operating within specific geographic areas, serve as intermediaries between local depositors and borrowers. They benefit from rising interest rates that improve net interest margins (the difference between loan yields and deposit costs), digital transformation reducing operational expenses, and local economic growth driving loan demand. However, these banks face headwinds from fintech competition, deposit outflows to higher-yielding alternatives, credit deterioration (increasing loan defaults) during economic slowdowns, and regulatory compliance costs. Recent concerns about regional bank stability following high-profile failures and significant commercial real estate exposure present additional challenges.

The 94 regional banks stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.3%.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 9.4% on average since the latest earnings results.

OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ: OCFC)

Tracing its roots back to 1902 when it began serving coastal New Jersey communities, OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ: OCFC) operates as a regional bank holding company that provides commercial and consumer banking services primarily in New Jersey and surrounding metropolitan areas.

OceanFirst Financial reported revenues of $103 million, up 9.5% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with EPS in line with analysts’ estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher D. Maher, commented on the Company’s results, “We are pleased to present our current quarter results, which reflect increased earnings, driven by strong organic loan and deposit growth while maintaining a robust commercial loan pipeline. We are also announcing a shift in our residential business where we have partnered with a national mortgage banking company to originate residential loans, materially reducing the number of employees and operating expenses as we move into 2026.”

Interestingly, the stock is up 5.1% since reporting and currently trades at $20.31.

Read our full report on OceanFirst Financial here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best Q3: Customers Bancorp (NYSE: CUBI)

Originally founded with a "high-tech, high-touch" branch-light banking strategy, Customers Bancorp (NYSE: CUBI) is a bank holding company that provides commercial and consumer banking services through its Customers Bank subsidiary, with a focus on business lending and digital banking.

Customers Bancorp reported revenues of $231.8 million, up 38.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 6.9%. The business had a stunning quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ net interest income estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 9.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $71.74.

Is now the time to buy Customers Bancorp? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Weakest Q3: The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK)

Operating behind the scenes of many popular fintech apps and prepaid cards you might use daily, The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK) is a bank holding company that specializes in providing banking services to fintech companies and offering specialty lending products.

The Bancorp reported revenues of $174.7 million, up 38.8% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 9.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

The Bancorp delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 10.3% since the results and currently trades at $69.28.

Read our full analysis of The Bancorp’s results here.

Origin Bancorp (NYSE: OBK)

Founded in 1912 during the early boom days of Louisiana banking, Origin Bancorp (NYSE: OBK) is a financial holding company that provides personalized banking services to businesses, municipalities, and individuals across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Origin Bancorp reported revenues of $101.6 million, up 11.5% year on year. This number was in line with analysts’ expectations. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is up 12.5% since reporting and currently trades at $38.65.

Read our full, actionable report on Origin Bancorp here, it’s free for active Edge members.

SouthState (NYSE: SSB)

With roots dating back to the Great Depression era of 1933, SouthState (NYSE: SSB) is a financial holding company that provides banking services, wealth management, and correspondent banking services across six southeastern states.

SouthState reported revenues of $698.8 million, up 63.9% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 6.6%. It was a stunning quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ net interest income estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is up 1.4% since reporting and currently trades at $95.20.

Read our full, actionable report on SouthState here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Market Update

As a result of the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has come down from frothy levels post-pandemic. The general rise in the price of goods and services is trending towards the Fed’s 2% goal as of late, which is good news. The higher rates that fought inflation also didn't slow economic activity enough to catalyze a recession. So far, soft landing. This, combined with recent rate cuts (half a percent in September 2024 and a quarter percent in November 2024) have led to strong stock market performance in 2024. The icing on the cake for 2024 returns was Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. Presidential Election in early November, sending major indices to all-time highs in the week following the election. Still, debates around the health of the economy and the impact of potential tariffs and corporate tax cuts remain, leaving much uncertainty around 2025.

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