Maintaining Hold: Solid Fundamentals and Credible 2026 Outlook but Limited Near-Term Upside and Re-Rating Catalysts

Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Wilczynski maintained a Hold rating on Customers Bancorp on January 23 and set a price target of $90.00.

Brian Wilczynski has given his Hold rating due to a combination of factors that balance solid fundamentals with limited near‑term upside. He notes that the most recent quarter generally matched market expectations, with stronger loan growth supporting net interest income and credit quality remaining stable, even though expenses were somewhat higher due to temporary items. He also views management’s 2026 guidance for net interest income, costs, loans, and deposits as credible and largely consistent with current forecasts, suggesting that the bank is on a steady, but not dramatically improving, trajectory. In addition, he highlights that core deposit growth is being supported by new commercial banking teams and that the rate-cutting environment has not yet pressured funding costs excessively.

At the same time, Wilczynski points out that the sharp stock decline following the earnings release appears exaggerated relative to the underlying performance, but he stops short of seeing a clear catalyst for a meaningful re‑rating. The modest quarter‑over‑quarter decline in cubiX-related deposits, which he attributes largely to cryptocurrency market volatility, introduces an element of uncertainty even though he believes there are untapped drivers that could support future growth in that segment. Because his earnings estimates remain largely unchanged and the current valuation already reflects much of the company’s achievable growth, he concludes that a neutral stance is appropriate. As a result, he maintains a Hold recommendation rather than moving to a more decisive bullish or bearish view.

In another report released yesterday, TipRanks – OpenAI also downgraded the stock to a Hold with a $81.00 price target.

Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 87 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of CUBI in relation to earlier this year.