Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
Northwest Bancshares (NWBI) is a roughly $17 billion-asset Pennsylvania-based regional bank whose stock is typically approached as a high-yield community-bank holding, where the story centers on a mid-single-digit dividend, a shift toward commercial lending, and steady deposit gathering rather than fast growth.
NWBI stock price
As of 2026-07-17, Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI) last closed at $15.53, up 16.7% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $11.30 and $15.67.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Northwest Bancshares, Inc.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI) do?
Northwest Bancshares, Inc. is the holding company for Northwest Bank, a full-service community and regional bank founded in 1896 and now headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It operates roughly 150 financial centers across Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Indiana, gathering local deposits and lending them back into the same communities through consumer, mortgage, commercial, and small-business loans, plus wealth management and employee-benefits services. As of the first quarter of 2026 it held about $16.9 billion in total assets, roughly $12.9 billion in net loans, and about $14.2 billion in deposits.
The investment picture is that of a traditional regional lender in transition rather than a growth story. Management has been reorienting the balance sheet toward higher-yielding commercial and industrial lending (average C&I loans grew about 28% year over year in Q1 2026) while expanding net interest margin, and it bolstered its Pennsylvania footprint with the July 2025 acquisition of Penns Woods Bancorp, which added 21 branches. The company reported record quarterly net income of about $51 million in Q1 2026 and continues a long streak of dividend payments, which is the main draw for many holders. The trade-offs are the classic ones for a bank this size: earnings hinge on interest rates, deposit costs, and credit quality across a concentrated Northeast and Midwest geography.
What's driving Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI)?
1. Commercial lending pivot
Northwest has been deliberately shifting its loan mix toward commercial and industrial credit, with average C&I balances up roughly 28% year over year in Q1 2026. This mix shift tends to carry higher yields and deeper client relationships than the legacy consumer and residential book, and management frames it as the engine for margin and fee growth.
2. Margin expansion
Net interest margin expanded to about 3.70% in Q1 2026, helped by loan repricing and the shift toward commercial assets. Because net interest income is the bulk of a community bank's revenue, a widening margin flows quickly to the bottom line, and total revenue rose about 12% year over year to roughly $175 million in the quarter.
3. Acquisition-driven scale
The July 2025 purchase of Penns Woods Bancorp (Jersey Shore State Bank and Luzerne Bank) for about $234 million added 21 Pennsylvania branches and deepened NWBI's core market. Bolt-on deals like this let a regional bank add deposits and loans in familiar geographies, though they also bring integration work and goodwill onto the balance sheet.
4. Capital return and dividend
NWBI pays an $0.80 annualized dividend (a mid-single-digit yield at recent prices) and has paid a cash dividend for well over a hundred consecutive quarters, alongside a $50 million buyback authorization announced in Q1 2026. Consistent capital return is central to how income-focused investors view the name.
What are the risks to Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI)?
As a rate-sensitive lender, NWBI's earnings depend heavily on the level and shape of interest rates, deposit competition, and the cost of funding. Credit quality is a standing risk, particularly in commercial and industrial and commercial real estate loans, where a regional economic slowdown could drive higher charge-offs. The push into commercial lending, while higher-yielding, adds concentration and underwriting risk relative to the legacy consumer book. Acquisitions such as Penns Woods carry integration and goodwill-impairment risk if expected synergies do not materialize. Finally, the high dividend payout leaves less retained capital to absorb shocks, so a sustained earnings decline could pressure both the payout and the stock.
How is Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI) valued? (approximate, July 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Northwest Bancshares, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (TTM): ~$660M
- Net income (Q1 2026): ~$51M
- Diluted EPS (Q1 2026): ~$0.34
- Market cap: ~$2.1B
- Dividend (annual): ~$0.80 (yield ~6%)
- Net interest margin: ~3.70%
NWBI trades like a mature regional bank, valued more on book value, dividend yield, and return on assets than on rapid growth. Total assets were about $16.9 billion with roughly $14.2 billion of deposits as of Q1 2026. The mid-single-digit dividend yield is a large part of the stock's total-return profile, which makes payout sustainability and credit quality the key figures to watch.
Who competes with Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI)?
Pennsylvania and Northeast regional banks
Peers such as F.N.B. Corp, Citizens Financial, and Fulton Financial compete for the same commercial and consumer deposits and loans across Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, where footprint density and local relationships drive share.
Community and small-cap banks
Smaller community lenders like Penns Woods (now acquired), CNB Financial, and Mid-Penn Bancorp compete on local service and pricing; NWBI's scale and acquisitions are aimed at consolidating this fragmented tier.
Large national and money-center banks
Institutions such as PNC, JPMorgan Chase, and Truist compete on rates, technology, and product breadth, pressuring regional players on deposit costs and digital banking capabilities.
How to invest in Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI)
There are three common ways to get NWBI exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so NWBI sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where NWBI fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
The bottom line on Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI)
NWBI is a yield-oriented regional bank stock whose appeal rests on its dividend and commercial-lending pivot, balanced against the rate sensitivity and credit risk that come with any community lender.
More on Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI)
Whether NWBI is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is NWBI a buy?, and where the stock could go from here in the NWBI stock forecast.
For income investors, whether NWBI pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does NWBI pay a dividend?
Build a basket around NWBI with Walnut
Use Northwest Bancshares, Inc. as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
Where is NWBI located?
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Northwest Bancshares is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and operates roughly 150 financial centers concentrated in Pennsylvania plus New York, Ohio, and Indiana.
Does NWBI pay a dividend?
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Yes. NWBI pays an annualized dividend of about $0.80 per share, a mid-single-digit yield at recent prices, and has paid a cash dividend for well over a hundred consecutive quarters.
How did NWBI perform in Q1 2026?
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The company reported record net income of about $51 million, or roughly $0.34 per diluted share, on total revenue of about $175 million, up around 12% year over year, with net interest margin expanding to about 3.70%.
What was the Penns Woods acquisition?
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In July 2025 Northwest completed its purchase of Penns Woods Bancorp for about $234 million, absorbing Jersey Shore State Bank and Luzerne Bank and adding 21 Pennsylvania branches to deepen its core market.
What are the main risks for NWBI?
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Key risks include interest-rate sensitivity, deposit competition, credit quality in commercial and real estate loans, integration risk from acquisitions, and the limited retained capital that comes with a high dividend payout.
Is NWBI a growth or income stock?
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It is generally viewed as an income-oriented regional bank stock, where the mid-single-digit dividend yield and steady book-value growth matter more than rapid earnings expansion, though the commercial-lending pivot adds a modest growth angle.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Northwest Bancshares, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.