Columbia Banking System (COLB) Q3 Earnings Report Preview: What To Look For

Regional banking company Columbia Banking System (NASDAQ:COLB) will be announcing earnings results this Thursday after market close. Here’s what investors should know.

Columbia Banking System beat analysts’ revenue expectations by 3.8% last quarter, reporting revenues of $510.9 million, up 8.2% year on year. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

Is Columbia Banking System a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it’s free for active Edge members.

This quarter, analysts are expecting Columbia Banking System’s revenue to grow 15% year on year to $571 million, a reversal from the 5.4% decrease it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.69 per share.

Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Columbia Banking System has missed Wall Street’s revenue estimates four times over the last two years.

Looking at Columbia Banking System’s peers in the regional banks segment, some have already reported their Q3 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Customers Bancorp delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 38.5%, beating analysts’ expectations by 7%, and UMB Financial reported revenues up 67%, topping estimates by 3.6%. Customers Bancorp traded up 7% following the results.

Read our full analysis of Customers Bancorp’s results here and UMB Financial’s results here.

The outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. While some of the regional banks stocks have shown solid performance in this choppy environment, the group has generally underperformed, with share prices down 3.4% on average over the last month. Columbia Banking System is up 4.8% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $29.23 (compared to the current share price of $26.88).

When a company has more cash than it knows what to do with, buying back its own shares can make a lot of sense–as long as the price is right. Luckily, we’ve found one, a low-priced stock that is gushing free cash flow AND buying back shares. Click here to claim your Special Free Report on a fallen angel growth story that is already recovering from a setback.

StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.