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Stellar Bancorp (STEL)
NYSE:STEL
US Market
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Stellar Bancorp (STEL) AI Stock Analysis

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STEL

Stellar Bancorp

(NYSE:STEL)

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Outperform 74 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:74Outperform
Price Target:
$42.00
▲(10.67% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:04/29/26
The score is driven primarily by solid financial quality (strong cash flow and a conservative balance sheet) and supportive technical trends (price above key moving averages with positive MACD). This is tempered by weakened revenue performance in the TTM period and limited valuation clarity due to an unusable P/E input, while corporate events (merger progress and debt redemption) add a meaningful positive catalyst.
Positive Factors
Strong cash generation
TTM operating and free cash flow closely track net income (free cash flow ~98% of net income), indicating high earnings quality and reliable internal funding. Durable cash generation supports dividends, debt paydowns, merger integration funding, and resilience through credit cycles.
Negative Factors
Sharp revenue decline
A steep TTM revenue contraction (≈46%) signals weakening top-line momentum. Persistent revenue decline can erode the franchise, limit reinvestment capacity, and force margin tradeoffs; net income holding up today may mask longer-term pressure on sustainable earnings growth.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Strong cash generation
TTM operating and free cash flow closely track net income (free cash flow ~98% of net income), indicating high earnings quality and reliable internal funding. Durable cash generation supports dividends, debt paydowns, merger integration funding, and resilience through credit cycles.
Read all positive factors

Stellar Bancorp (STEL) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Stellar Bancorp Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
Stellar Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company that provides a range of commercial banking services primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, and individual customers. It accepts deposit products, including checkin...
How the Company Makes Money
Stellar Bancorp makes money primarily through (1) net interest income and (2) noninterest income. Net interest income is earned from the spread between interest and fees collected on interest-earning assets—mainly commercial and industrial loans a...

Stellar Bancorp Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Oct 24, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 24, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call reflected a mixed performance, with positive developments in deposit growth, net interest income, and loan origination countered by challenges such as decreased net income, higher expenses, and increased loan payoffs. Overall, the company's strategic position remains strong, but near-term pressures are evident.
Positive Updates
Strong Deposit Growth
The company experienced strong deposit growth, with 51% of new deposits coming from new customers. This reflects increased brand awareness and effective market share gains.
Negative Updates
Decrease in Net Income
Third quarter net income decreased to $25.7 million from $26.4 million in the second quarter, with EPS dropping from $0.51 to $0.50.
Read all updates
Q3-2025 Updates
Negative
Strong Deposit Growth
The company experienced strong deposit growth, with 51% of new deposits coming from new customers. This reflects increased brand awareness and effective market share gains.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
During the Stellar Bank Third Quarter Earnings Call for 2025, the management team provided guidance on several key financial metrics. The net interest income for the third quarter was reported at $100.6 million, an increase from $98.3 million in the second quarter, with a net interest margin of 4.2%, slightly up from 4.18% in the previous quarter. The bank's net income was $25.7 million or $0.50 per diluted share, compared to $26.4 million or $0.51 per share in the second quarter. The annualized Return on Average Assets (ROAA) was 0.97%, and the Return on Average Tangible Common Equity (ROATCE) was 11.45%. Stellar Bank also reported a provision for loan losses of $305,000, with net charge-offs totaling $3.3 million for the quarter. The allowance for credit losses on loans stood at $78.9 million, which is 1.1% of loans. The bank's noninterest income was $5 million, down from $5.8 million in the second quarter, primarily due to write-downs on foreclosed assets. Noninterest expenses increased to $73.1 million from $70 million, attributed to higher salaries, benefits, and professional fees. The tangible book value per share increased by 9.3% year-over-year to $21.08 per share, and the total risk-based capital ratio improved to 16.33%. The management expressed confidence in their liquidity, capital position, and the strength of their balance sheet, emphasizing a focus on disciplined growth and shareholder value enhancement.

Stellar Bancorp Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Overall fundamentals are solid, led by strong cash generation (cash flow score 85) and a conservatively positioned balance sheet (balance sheet score 78). The main offset is weaker operating momentum from a sharp TTM revenue decline (income statement score 62), which raises questions about near-term growth durability despite net income holding up.
Income Statement
62
Positive
Balance Sheet
78
Positive
Cash Flow
85
Very Positive
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue592.03M596.26M625.45M615.38M343.35M261.75M
Gross Profit414.05M413.25M433.92M452.38M258.60M239.45M
EBITDA152.16M127.78M176.99M196.35M76.78M107.44M
Net Income105.14M102.87M115.00M130.50M51.43M81.55M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets10.89B10.81B10.91B10.65B10.90B7.10B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments2.03B2.22B2.10B1.79B2.18B2.53B
Total Debt175.26M40.23M70.11M159.76M173.29M212.94M
Total Liabilities9.22B9.14B9.30B9.13B9.52B6.29B
Stockholders Equity1.67B1.67B1.61B1.52B1.38B816.47M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow117.65M92.61M127.96M161.36M105.25M104.45M
Operating Cash Flow119.19M97.00M132.62M168.22M109.07M107.38M
Investing Cash Flow-463.77M-348.22M246.09M295.25M73.76M-754.82M
Financing Cash Flow333.58M-240.55M133.27M-435.94M-568.63M982.19M

Stellar Bancorp Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price37.95
Price Trends
50DMA
37.20
Positive
100DMA
34.77
Positive
200DMA
32.35
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.36
Negative
RSI
64.62
Neutral
STOCH
78.60
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For STEL, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 37.95 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 36.82, above the 50-day MA of 37.20, and above the 200-day MA of 32.35, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.36 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 64.62 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 78.60 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for STEL.

Stellar Bancorp Risk Analysis

Stellar Bancorp disclosed 63 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Stellar 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

Stellar Bancorp Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
76
Outperform
$1.76B10.5112.89%2.37%4.51%14.48%
76
Outperform
$1.51B13.7314.79%3.37%-0.58%22.18%
75
Outperform
$1.90B17.987.35%3.07%3.18%-7.24%
74
Outperform
$1.89B17.346.38%1.82%-3.22%-5.50%
69
Neutral
$1.60B11.8210.25%2.89%31.29%45.08%
68
Neutral
$18.00B11.429.92%3.81%9.73%1.22%
56
Neutral
$1.95B33.844.87%12.80%
* Financial Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
STEL
Stellar Bancorp
37.13
11.81
46.61%
SRCE
1St Source
73.06
13.76
23.20%
GABC
German American Bancorp
42.68
5.40
14.47%
LKFN
Lakeland Financial
60.71
3.15
5.48%
NBHC
National Bank Holdings
42.42
7.28
20.72%
CLBK
Columbia Financial
18.73
3.56
23.47%

Stellar Bancorp Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial DisclosuresM&A TransactionsShareholder Meetings
Stellar Bancorp Reports Strong Q1 Results, Advances Merger
Positive
Apr 28, 2026
On April 28, 2026, Stellar Bancorp reported first-quarter 2026 net income of $27.0 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, up from $26.1 million, or $0.51 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2025, supported by loan growth of $287.4 million and a mode...
Business Operations and Strategy
Stellar Bancorp Redeems Subordinated Notes, Streamlining Capital Structure
Positive
Apr 1, 2026
On April 1, 2026, Stellar Bancorp, Inc. fully redeemed the remaining $30.0 million principal amount of its 4.70% fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes due 2029. The redemption price equaled 100% of the principal plus accrued and unpaid interes...
Dividends
Stellar Bancorp Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend, Signals Confidence
Positive
Feb 25, 2026
On February 25, 2026, Stellar Bancorp, Inc. announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share of common stock. The dividend is scheduled to be paid on March 31, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the cl...
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesM&A Transactions
Stellar Bancorp to Merge with Prosperity Bancshares
Positive
Jan 29, 2026
On January 27, 2026, Stellar Bancorp, Inc. agreed to merge with Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. in an all-stock and cash transaction under which Stellar will be combined into Prosperity, followed immediately by the merger of Stellar Bank into Prosperi...
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: Apr 29, 2026