Ameris Bancorp (ABCB)
NYSE:ABCB
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Ameris Bancorp
(NYSE:ABCB)
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Rating:71Outperform
Price Target:
$91.00
▲(15.19% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:02/27/26
The score is driven primarily by solid fundamentals (profitability and a strong, conservatively levered balance sheet), partially offset by cash flow volatility. Earnings-call guidance and sentiment were constructive, while technicals are mixed and valuation is reasonable but not especially supported by yield.
Positive Factors
Consistent profitability and NIM expansion
Record FY2025 earnings and expanding net interest margin demonstrate durable core earnings power from spread-based lending. Stable ~10% ROE and positive operating leverage indicate the bank can sustain profitability through the rate/credit cycle while funding franchise growth.
Negative Factors
Volatile operating and free cash flow
Large swings in operating and free cash flow undermine predictability of internal funding for growth and buybacks. If weak cash generation persists, management may have to curtail capital returns, raise external funding, or slow organic expansion, increasing execution risk.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Consistent profitability and NIM expansion
Record FY2025 earnings and expanding net interest margin demonstrate durable core earnings power from spread-based lending. Stable ~10% ROE and positive operating leverage indicate the bank can sustain profitability through the rate/credit cycle while funding franchise growth.
Read all positive factors
Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$5.36B
Dividend Yield1.02%
Average Volume (3M)611.37K
Price to Earnings (P/E)12.3
Beta (1Y)1.01
Revenue Growth2.20%
EPS Growth20.88%
CountryUS
Employees2,045
SectorFinancial
Sector Strength70
IndustryBanks - Regional
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)1.59
Shares Outstanding67,880,295
10 Day Avg. Volume572,857
30 Day Avg. Volume611,367
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio0.79
Price to Book (P/B)1.25
Price to Sales (P/S)3.05
P/FCF Ratio13.75
Enterprise Value/Market Cap1.11
Enterprise Value/Revenue3.61
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit5.33
Enterprise Value/Ebitda9.95
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$89.25Price Target Upside12.97% Upside
Rating ConsensusModerate Buy
Number of Analyst Covering6
EPS Forecast (FY)6.51
Revenue Forecast (FY)$1.28B
Ameris Bancorp Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers primarily in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The company operates through...
How the Company Makes Money
Ameris Bancorp generates revenue primarily through interest income and non-interest income. Interest income is derived from loans made to consumers and businesses, including commercial real estate loans, residential mortgages, and consumer loans. ...
Ameris Bancorp Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Jan 29, 2026
(Q4-2025)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Apr 23, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call emphasized multiple strong positive operating and capital outcomes: record net income and EPS, margin and efficiency improvements, robust loan production and pipelines, tangible book value growth (~14.5%), and disciplined capital returns including buybacks. Near-term headwinds include deposit cost pressure that could compress margin (management expects a modest 5–10 bps decline), seasonal Q1 expense increases, mortgage revenue volatility, elevated Q4 CRE payoffs that temporarily reduced net loan growth, and a short-term uptick in quarterly net charge-offs. Overall, the positives around core profitability, asset quality and capital strength outweigh the transitory and manageable challenges called out.Positive Updates
Record Annual Earnings and EPS Growth
Reported record net income for FY2025 of $412.2 million and diluted EPS of $6.00, a 15% increase in EPS year-over-year.
Negative Updates
Pressure on Margin from Deposit Costs
Management expects slight margin compression over the next few quarters driven by rising deposit costs as loan growth accelerates; guidance calls for a 5–10 basis point decline from current NIM levels in the near term.
Read all updates
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive
Negative
Record Annual Earnings and EPS Growth
Reported record net income for FY2025 of $412.2 million and diluted EPS of $6.00, a 15% increase in EPS year-over-year.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management guided to mid-single-digit loan and deposit growth in 2026, with net charge-offs expected in the 20–25 bps range and modest margin compression of roughly 5–10 bps from Q4’s 3.85% over the next few quarters; they also flagged that deposit pressure as loan growth funds could drive that compression. They expect Q1 noninterest expense to start around $154–155 million (reflecting a roughly $7.5 million seasonal payroll/401(k) swing), which should push the efficiency ratio back above 50% in Q1 (Q4: 46.6%; FY25: 50%). Credit and provision guidance included a Q4 provision of $23 million (with $6.3 million for unfunded commitments), an allowance at 1.62% of loans, and the stated NCO guidance above, while management emphasized a strong pipeline and production (citing record-quarter production and a $2.4 billion pipeline) despite Q4 CRE payoffs of over $500 million that left loans up ~5% and earning assets up ~6% in the quarter. Capital priorities remain organic growth then buybacks/dividends (remaining repurchase authorization ~$159.2 million after $40.8 million repurchased in Q4 and $77 million for the year), with year-end CET1 at 13.2% and tangible common equity ~11.4% and longer-term targets around CET1 ≈12% and TCE ≈10–10.5%.Ameris Bancorp Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
78
Positive
Balance Sheet
80
Positive
Cash Flow
55
Neutral
| Breakdown | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | |||||
| Total Revenue | 1.67B | 1.63B | 1.49B | 1.14B | 1.04B |
| Gross Profit | 1.14B | 1.05B | 899.85M | 976.89M | 1.03B |
| EBITDA | 533.76M | 522.59M | 402.87M | 506.72M | 544.04M |
| Net Income | 412.15M | 358.69M | 269.11M | 346.54M | 376.91M |
Balance Sheet | |||||
| Total Assets | 27.52B | 26.26B | 25.20B | 25.05B | 23.86B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 253.81M | 2.89B | 2.57B | 2.62B | 4.64B |
| Total Debt | 743.02M | 424.10M | 639.90M | 2.00B | 872.05M |
| Total Liabilities | 23.44B | 22.51B | 21.78B | 21.86B | 20.89B |
| Stockholders Equity | 4.08B | 3.75B | 3.43B | 3.20B | 2.97B |
Cash Flow | |||||
| Free Cash Flow | 369.64M | 140.72M | 551.43M | 1.05B | -16.31M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 390.18M | 154.19M | 568.96M | 1.06B | 9.14M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -1.30B | -846.68M | -338.19M | -4.87B | -420.98M |
| Financing Cash Flow | 781.16M | 745.56M | -181.59M | 865.53M | 2.36B |
Ameris Bancorp Technical Analysis
Positive
79.00
Price Trends
79.30
Negative
77.71
Positive
73.86
Positive
Market Momentum
-0.13
Negative
57.68
Neutral
85.86
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ABCB, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 79 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 76.13, below the 50-day MA of 79.30, and above the 200-day MA of 73.86, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.13 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 57.68 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 85.86 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ABCB.
Ameris Bancorp Risk Analysis
Ameris Bancorp disclosed 38 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Ameris Bancorp reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
Ameris Bancorp Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
73 Outperform | $4.35B | 16.86 | 14.16% | 2.42% | 12.90% | 16.92% | |
71 Outperform | $5.36B | 12.33 | 10.41% | 1.02% | 2.20% | 20.88% | |
70 Outperform | $5.31B | 10.54 | 11.06% | 2.74% | -0.78% | 25.39% | |
68 Neutral | $18.00B | 11.42 | 9.92% | 3.81% | 9.73% | 1.22% | |
66 Neutral | $4.92B | 9.54 | 16.59% | ― | 1.66% | -9.31% | |
65 Neutral | $4.04B | 14.19 | 15.76% | 1.82% | 3.97% | 24.91% | |
63 Neutral | $5.18B | 11.17 | 6.10% | 3.83% | 43.53% | -21.74% |
* Financial Sector Average
ABCB
Ameris Bancorp
79.00
28.87
57.58%
AX
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86.78
30.42
53.97%
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45.11%
AUB
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36.33
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SFBS
ServisFirst Bancshares
73.88
6.69
9.96%
Ameris Bancorp Corporate Events
Executive/Board Changes
Ameris Bancorp Announces Retirement of Chief Strategy Officer
Neutral
Feb 24, 2026
Ameris Bancorp announced on February 24, 2026, that Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer James A. LaHaise will retire effective April 30, 2026, after entering into a Retirement Agreement and Release on February 19, 2026. U...
Stock BuybackFinancial Disclosures
Ameris Bancorp Posts Record 2025 Earnings and Profitability
Positive
Jan 29, 2026
On January 29, 2026, Ameris Bancorp reported strong fourth-quarter and record full-year 2025 results, highlighted by fourth-quarter net income of $108.4 million, or $1.59 per diluted share, and a return on average assets of 1.57%, supported by a h...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.