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First Bank (FRBA)
NASDAQ:FRBA

First Bank (FRBA) AI Stock Analysis

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FRBA

First Bank

(NASDAQ:FRBA)

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Neutral 65 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:65Neutral
Price Target:
$18.50
▲(9.14% Upside)
Action:DowngradedDate:03/16/26
The score is driven primarily by solid underlying financial performance and a constructive earnings-call outlook (growth, margin/expense initiatives, and capital returns), balanced by clear credit-risk pockets. The largest near-term drag is weak technical momentum (below key moving averages with negative MACD), while valuation is supportive due to a low P/E and modest dividend yield.
Positive Factors
Sustained Revenue and Profitability Growth
The company delivered clear revenue expansion and solid 2025 profitability, indicating improving scale and earnings power. Combined with YoY NIM improvement and growing noninterest income, this supports durable internal cash generation and reinvestment capacity to fund loan growth and shareholder returns over the medium term.
Negative Factors
Concentrated Small Business Credit Risk
Concentrated deterioration in the small business portfolio increases the risk of higher ongoing charge-offs and reserve volatility. Even with targeted corrective actions, persistent pockets of weakness can raise funding for loan loss provisioning, reduce net income stability, and constrain the pace of safe loan growth and capital returns.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Sustained Revenue and Profitability Growth
The company delivered clear revenue expansion and solid 2025 profitability, indicating improving scale and earnings power. Combined with YoY NIM improvement and growing noninterest income, this supports durable internal cash generation and reinvestment capacity to fund loan growth and shareholder returns over the medium term.
Read all positive factors

First Bank (FRBA) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

First Bank Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
First Bank provides various banking products and services to individuals, businesses, and governmental entities. The company accepts various deposits, including non-interest bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand accounts, money market a...
How the Company Makes Money
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First Bank Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Jan 26, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Apr 27, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call presented a majority of positive operational and financial developments: margin expansion, improved profitability ratios, strong full-year loan production and disciplined expense and deposit optimization. However, materially negative items were concentrated in the small business lending portfolio (elevated charge-offs/delinquency and higher reserves), a large $23 million C&I downgrade, and unusual Q4 payoff activity that temporarily reduced loans and deposits. Management has taken corrective actions on small business credit, approved shareholder-friendly capital actions (50% dividend increase and a $20 million buyback authorization), and set achievable 2026 targets (including $200 million net loan growth and continued deposit-cost reduction). On balance, the positive momentum and contained, identifiable credit issues suggest cautious optimism.
Positive Updates
Net Interest Margin Expansion
Fourth-quarter net interest margin of 3.7% (reported also as 3.74% vs Q3) — up ~20 basis points year-over-year; full-year NIM 3.69% vs 3.57% in 2024, driving stronger net interest income and profitability.
Negative Updates
Small Business Credit Underperformance
Small business loan portfolio experienced elevated delinquency and charge-offs concentrated in 2025; charge-offs for the quarter were $1.7 million (in line with prior quarter) and charge-off rates in the small business portfolio were described as elevated (~3% annualized in commentary vs desired 1–2%), prompting credit parameter changes and staffing reorganization.
Read all updates
Q4-2025 Updates
Negative
Net Interest Margin Expansion
Fourth-quarter net interest margin of 3.7% (reported also as 3.74% vs Q3) — up ~20 basis points year-over-year; full-year NIM 3.69% vs 3.57% in 2024, driving stronger net interest income and profitability.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management’s guidance for 2026 is focused on targeted growth and continued margin/expense improvement: they expect $200 million of net loan growth while keeping net interest margin relatively stable (Q4 NIM ~3.74%; FY2025 NIM 3.69% vs 3.57% in FY2024) by pushing deposit costs lower and replacing run‑off assets with higher‑yielding loans, expect acquisition‑accounting accretion to decline, and target modestly higher noninterest income (fee income was ~+$2M in 2025; Q4 noninterest income $2.3M). They reiterated goals to reduce noninterest expense to average assets (FY2025 1.97% vs 2.01% in FY2024) and close the cost‑of‑funds gap with peers while maintaining capital returns (50% quarterly dividend increase; approved buyback up to 1.2M shares/$20M). Key metrics cited alongside the guidance include Q4 ROA 1.21%, ROTCE 12.58%, loans up $149M (~5% YoY) despite $135M of Q4 payoffs, NPAs 46 bps, ALLL 1.38%, efficiency ratio 49.46%, and tangible book value per share $15.81 (>12% annualized); they also expect an effective tax rate of ~24–25%.

First Bank Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong revenue growth and solid 2025 profitability, supported by a stable, moderately levered balance sheet. Offsetting factors are material margin compression versus 2021–2022 and volatile year-to-year cash flow, which reduces earnings/cash-flow predictability.
Income Statement
72
Positive
Balance Sheet
69
Positive
Cash Flow
64
Positive
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue246.78M229.44M173.30M112.38M98.87M
Gross Profit136.26M128.68M95.86M94.62M89.88M
EBITDA57.30M59.47M30.01M49.44M48.30M
Net Income43.66M42.24M20.90M36.29M35.43M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets3.96B3.78B3.61B2.73B2.52B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments399.66M326.07M309.32M212.59M250.36M
Total Debt271.06M276.89M234.40M120.66M124.90M
Total Liabilities3.51B3.37B3.24B2.44B2.26B
Stockholders Equity443.50M409.16M370.90M289.56M266.67M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow62.66M24.72M140.72M34.97M27.85M
Operating Cash Flow65.56M27.63M143.84M36.88M28.04M
Investing Cash Flow-155.11M-107.20M20.33M-233.07M7.04M
Financing Cash Flow126.85M123.53M-62.13M167.60M23.95M

First Bank Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price16.95
Price Trends
50DMA
16.29
Positive
100DMA
16.36
Positive
200DMA
16.04
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.27
Negative
RSI
68.09
Neutral
STOCH
87.75
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For FRBA, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 16.95 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 16.12, above the 50-day MA of 16.29, and above the 200-day MA of 16.04, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.27 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 68.09 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 87.75 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for FRBA.

First Bank Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
72
Outperform
$465.49M8.5816.51%2.00%8.90%18.23%
70
Outperform
$651.30M9.599.79%2.12%32.03%170.90%
68
Neutral
$18.00B11.429.92%3.81%9.73%1.22%
67
Neutral
$428.32M9.532.24%3.76%23.93%
65
Neutral
$427.54M9.4110.03%1.41%9.76%4.43%
64
Neutral
$497.85M9.1410.02%2.96%3.49%33.86%
54
Neutral
$514.76M-3.72-21.66%5.87%12.76%-401.62%
* Financial Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
FRBA
First Bank
16.95
3.77
28.58%
BMRC
Bank Of Marin Bancorp
26.69
7.01
35.63%
CWBC
Community West Bancshares
24.15
8.53
54.64%
CIVB
Civista Bancshares
23.93
5.05
26.73%
MSBI
Midland States Bancrop
23.71
9.50
66.80%
OBT
Orange County Bancorp
35.33
13.79
64.04%
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.Date of analysis: Mar 16, 2026