Stock Yards Bancorp reported fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.24, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.20 and up 16% from $1.07 a year ago. Net interest income rose 8% year-over-year, driven by a 12 basis-point expansion in net interest margin. Non-interest income held steady at $15.3 million, supported by stable wealth-management fees. Loan balances grew 5% to $7.5 billion, while deposit balances increased 4% to $8.2 billion, reflecting strong customer retention and healthy commercial lending demand. Credit quality remained robust, with nonperforming assets at 0.45% of total assets, down from 0.52% in the prior year quarter. The efficiency ratio improved to 56.2% from 58.7%, demonstrating effective expense control as operating expenses rose only 3% year-over-year.

In a definitive all-stock agreement valued at approximately $105.7 million, Stock Yards will acquire Field & Main Bancorp in a transaction expected to close in Q2 2026. Field & Main contributes $861 million in assets, $652 million in loans and $781 million in deposits across six branches in Western Kentucky and southern Indiana. The combined organization will manage roughly $10.4 billion in assets, $7.9 billion in gross loans, $8.6 billion in deposits and $8.4 billion in trust assets under management across 81 branches. The merger is projected to be 5.7% accretive to earnings per share once cost savings are fully implemented, with tangible book value dilution of 0.9% earned back in under one year. Leadership additions include Field & Main’s CEO joining the board upon closing.