The Best Stock in Montana: Glacier Bancorp
We analyzed publicly traded companies based in Big Sky Country to identify the best stock in Montana to buy now.
We scoured the nation to identify the best stock in every state. Glacier Bancorp (symbol GBCI) is the publicly traded company we picked in Montana. The company headquarters is located in Kalispell.
A word of caution: Since we selected a single stock from each state (plus one from D.C), and choices in some states are sparse, a few of our picks are best suited to investors comfortable with a higher degree of risk. This is not necessarily one of our 51 favorite stocks in the entire U.S., in other words.
Glacier Bancorp by the Numbers
- Headquarters: Kalispell
- Share price: $35.05
- Market value: $2.7 billion
- Price-earnings ratio: 19
(Prices and data are as of June 22, 2017)
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Glacier is a regional bank holding company that provides commercial banking services at 146 locations in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The company has grown through acquisition, with the management team snapping up small, regional banks that they believe have potential for growth. This “company of banks” model puts Glacier in a unique niche, says Tim Skiendzielewski of Aberdeen Asset Management, whose Small Cap Equity fund counts the stock among its top-ten holdings.
Glacier’s size and resources, he says, allow its subsidiaries to offer more sophisticated products than local, mom-and-pop banks, while being more involved on a community level than bigger “super-regionals.” Glacier’s conservative underwriting, well-managed expenses and good loan growth have led to superior return on average equity (ROAE) and return on average assets (ROAA) – both key measures of banks’ profitability – compared with its peers. Analysts who cover the stock see per-share earnings growth climbing 12% this year, followed by a 11% jump in 2018. The company has hiked its annual payout every year since 2012, and in January paid a 30-cent special dividend on top of its normal quarterly payout for the third straight year. The stock’s annualized regular payout of 84 cents per share gives it a yield of 2.4%.
Ryan joined Kiplinger in the fall of 2013. He wrote and fact-checked stories that appeared in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and on Kiplinger.com. He previously interned for the CBS Evening News investigative team and worked as a copy editor and features columnist at the GW Hatchet. He holds a BA in English and creative writing from George Washington University.
-
Strategies to Optimize Your Social Security Benefits
To maximize what you can collect, it’s crucial to know when you can file, how delaying filing affects your checks and the income limit if you’re still working.
By Jason “JB” Beckett Published
-
Don’t Forget to Update Beneficiaries After a Gray Divorce
Some states automatically revoke a former spouse as a beneficiary on some accounts. Waivers can be used, too. Best not to leave it up to your state, though.
By Andrew Hatherley, CDFA®, CRPC® Published
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Slips After Travelers' Earnings Miss
The property and casualty insurer posted a bottom-line miss as catastrophe losses spiked.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Stabilize After Powell's Rate-Cut Warning
The main indexes temporarily tumbled after Fed Chair Powell said interest rates could stay higher for longer.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Reverse Lower as Treasury Yields Spike
A good-news-is-bad-news retail sales report lowered rate-cut expectations and caused government bond yields to surge.
By Karee Venema Last updated
-
Stock Market Today: Nasdaq Leads as Magnificent 7 Stocks Rise
Strength in several mega-cap tech and communication services stocks kept the main indexes higher Thursday.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Tumble After a Hot Inflation Print
Equities retreated after inflation data called the Fed's rate-cut plans into question.
By Dan Burrows Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks End Mixed Ahead of Key Inflation Reading
Equities struggled before tomorrow's big Consumer Price Index report.
By Dan Burrows Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Closed Mixed in Choppy Trading
Volatility returned as market participants adjusted their expectations for rate cuts.
By Dan Burrows Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Rally After Blowout Jobs Report
Stocks soared into the weekend as investors brushed off strong payrolls data and lowered rate-cut expectations.
By Dan Burrows Published