Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Raises Position in Columbia Banking System, Inc. $COLB

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its position in shares of Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB) by 18.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 375,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,669 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.18% of Columbia Banking System worth $9,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Columbia Banking System by 612.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC bought a new position in Columbia Banking System in the third quarter worth $28,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Columbia Banking System during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Columbia Banking System by 194.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,202 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Columbia Banking System in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 92.53% of the company’s stock.

Columbia Banking System Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of COLB opened at $28.88 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $28.38 and a 200 day moving average of $26.62. Columbia Banking System, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.61 and a twelve month high of $31.11.

Columbia Banking System (NASDAQ:COLB) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $715.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $693.23 million. Columbia Banking System had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 17.11%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Columbia Banking System, Inc. will post 2.71 EPS for the current year.

Columbia Banking System Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a $0.37 dividend. This is a positive change from Columbia Banking System’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.1%. Columbia Banking System’s payout ratio is presently 65.49%.

Key Columbia Banking System News

Here are the key news stories impacting Columbia Banking System this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on both EPS and revenue — COLB reported $0.82 EPS vs. $0.72 consensus and $715M revenue, driven by revenue growth and lower provisions. This supports earnings momentum. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition tailwinds — the Pacific Premier deal contributed its first full quarter, boosting revenue and offering expected cost‑savings/synergy opportunities highlighted in coverage. COLB Q4 deep dive
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted targets and forecasts after the results — DA Davidson bumped its PT to $32.50 (neutral) and RBC raised its PT to $32 (sector perform), signaling modest upside from current levels. DA Davidson PT raise RBC PT raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor resources published (earnings call transcript, slide deck) allowing deeper review of metrics like ROE (11.13%) and net margin (15.98%) for modeling and due diligence. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Rising operating expenses and integration costs were highlighted in coverage; higher expenses may pressure near‑term margins despite revenue gains. This appears to be weighing on sentiment. Zacks: expenses rose
• Negative Sentiment: High trading volume on the decline suggests profit‑taking after the beat; coupled with mostly neutral/sector‑perform analyst stances, upside may be capped near-term. (Market volume data referenced in trading summary.) MarketBeat earnings summary

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Columbia Banking System from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Columbia Banking System to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Columbia Banking System from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Columbia Banking System in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Columbia Banking System from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.27.

Columbia Banking System Company Profile

Columbia Banking System, Inc is a bank holding company that operates through its principal subsidiary, Columbia State Bank. Headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, the company provides a full range of banking and financial services to commercial, small business and consumer customers. Its branch network is concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, with locations across Washington, Oregon and Idaho, where it aims to combine local decision-making with the resources of a larger institution.

The company’s offerings include commercial real estate lending, construction and development financing, equipment and small business loans, and deposit products such as checking, savings and money market accounts.