Here is Why Glacier Bancorp (GBCI) is Favored by Hedge Funds

Glacier Bancorp (NYSE:GBCI) is one of the best financial pure plays under $100 according to hedge funds.

On December 18, Piper Sandler analyst Matthew Clark upgraded his rating on Glacier Bancorp (NYSE:GBCI) to Buy from Neutral. He raised his price target on the stock from $50 to $58, offering investors an attractive 30.5% upside.

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Clark attributed his overweight stance on Glacier Bancorp (NYSE:GBCI) to several fundamental and market factors. He noted the stock’s underperformance in recent times, which places it at a significant discount compared to its own historical valuation multiples. Clark also highlighted a very stable credit profile and asset repricing, which make the bank’s fundamentals robust. Moreover, the analyst believes that such asset repricing will help deliver strong net interest margins going forward.  This makes the analyst forecast a double-digit growth in earnings for the bank.

As of the December 30 closing, consensus ratings remain favorable toward Glacier Bancorp (NYSE:GBCI). All four analysts covering the company had assigned Buy ratings, leading to a consensus 1-year average price target of $56.50. This results in an upside potential of over 27% from the current level.

Glacier Bancorp (NYSE:GBCI) is a multi-bank holding company that operates around 18 distinct banking brands. In line with the community-focused banking concept, they deliver commercial banking services with assets totaling $29 billion. Their offerings include transaction & savings deposits, consumer loans, and mortgage origination services.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of GBCI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than GBCI and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.