Should You Buy ConnectOne Bancorp Inc (CNOB) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Hold
Latest Price
27.750
1 Day change
-0.36%
52 Week Range
29.280
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
CNOB is NOT a great buy right now for a beginner long-term investor who wants to act immediately. The stock’s technical trend is bullish, but upside looks limited near-term (key resistance ~28.91 and the only provided Street target is $28), while options open interest is heavily put-skewed (bearish/hedging tone). With earnings on 2026-01-29 (pre-market), the cleaner long-term entry is after that print; buying now doesn’t offer an attractive risk/reward based on the provided data.
Technical Analysis
Trend/price action: Bullish structure with moving averages stacked positively (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), suggesting an uptrend remains intact even after today’s -1.07% dip to 27.8.
Momentum: MACD histogram is positive (0.125) but “positively contracting,” implying bullish momentum is slowing rather than accelerating. RSI_6 at ~63.7 is neutral-to-mildly warm (not overbought).
Levels: Pivot 27.576 is immediate reference; price (27.8) is slightly above it, so near-term trend support is holding. Downside supports: S1 26.239 then S2 25.413. Upside resistance: R1 28.913 then R2 29.739.
Pattern-based forward look (provided): Similar-pattern stats imply modest upside next week but a -4.1% bias over the next month.
**Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals**
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.
Options Data
Bearish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Sentiment read: Open interest put/call of 4.4 is heavily put-skewed, typically reflecting cautious/bearish positioning or substantial hedging demand.
Activity/liquidity: Reported options volume is 0 today (and very low 5–10d averages), so sentiment inference is based more on positioning (open interest) than fresh trading.
Volatility: 30D IV ~23.9 with very low IV percentile (~0.4) suggests options are priced for relatively muted moves versus its own history (even though historical volatility is listed higher).
Technical Summary
Sell
3
Buy
7
Positive Catalysts
Strong latest reported growth (2025/Q3): Revenue +69.16% YoY, Net Income +152.30% YoY, EPS +90.24% YoY.
Acquisition-driven scale: Piper Sandler highlighted the First of Long Island acquisition as providing “much-needed scale,” and improving profitability.
Technical trend remains bullish (bullish MA stack), with price holding near pivot support (~27.58).
Upcoming catalyst: QDEC 2025 earnings on 2026-01-29 pre-market (consensus EPS est. 0.74) could validate the improved profitability narrative.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Limited near-term upside based on the only provided price target: $28 vs current ~27.8 (tight headroom).
Options positioning is heavily put-skewed (OI put/call 4.4), which can signal defensive sentiment.
Pattern-based projection provided shows a negative bias over the next month (-4.1%).
No supportive recent news flow in the past week to act as an immediate catalyst.
No notable supportive buying trends flagged from hedge funds or insiders (both neutral).
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2025/Q3. Growth was strong: Revenue 99,947,000 (+69.16% YoY), Net Income 39,379,000 (+152.30% YoY), EPS 0.78 (+90.24% YoY). This indicates accelerating profitability and strong year-over-year expansion (consistent with a scale/acquisition benefit).
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent rating trend (provided): On 2025-11-07, Piper Sandler assumed coverage with Overweight and a $28 target, citing improved scale from the First of Long Island acquisition and rising profitability.
Wall Street pros (from provided note): Better scale and improving profitability profile.
Wall Street cons (from provided data context): Target implies minimal upside from current price, suggesting the market may already be pricing in much of the improvement.
Influential/political trading: No recent congress trading data available; hedge funds neutral; insiders neutral.
Wall Street analysts forecast CNOB stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CNOB is 28 USD with a low forecast of 28 USD and a high forecast of 28 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast CNOB stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CNOB is 28 USD with a low forecast of 28 USD and a high forecast of 28 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 27.850
Low
28
Averages
28
High
28
Current: 27.850
Low
28
Averages
28
High
28
Piper Sandler
Overweight
initiated
$28
AI Analysis
2025-11-07
Reason
Piper Sandler
Price Target
$28
AI Analysis
2025-11-07
initiated
Overweight
Reason
Piper Sandler assumed coverage of ConnectOne Bancorp with an Overweight rating and $28 price target. The firm believes the company's acquisition of First of Long Island Corporation is providing "much-needed scale." ConnectOne's profitability levels continue to move higher, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
Keefe Bruyette
Outperform
downgrade
$31 -> $29
2025-08-04
Reason
Keefe Bruyette
Price Target
$31 -> $29
2025-08-04
downgrade
Outperform
Reason
Keefe Bruyette lowered the firm's price target on ConnectOne Bancorp to $29 from $31 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for CNOB
