Valley National Bancorp (VLY) Stock Price & How to Invest

Valley National Bancorp is the holding company for Valley National Bank, a regional lender headquartered in the New York metro area with operations concentrated in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama and California. At December 31, 2025 it held roughly $64.1 billion in total assets, about $49.6 billion in net loans and $52.2 billion in deposits, and it makes money the traditional way, by taking deposits and lending against commercial real estate, commercial and industrial borrowers, and consumers, while collecting fee income on the side. Commercial real estate has long been its signature exposure, at about 58 percent of total loans, which is high versus most peers and is the single biggest factor investors watch.

The picture through 2026 is one of gradual improvement off a difficult stretch for regional banks. Net interest margin widened to about 3.17 percent in Q1 2026 as deposit costs stabilized, and the efficiency ratio improved into the low 50s. Second-quarter 2026 revenue rose about 15% year over year to roughly $561 million and net income was about $164 million, or $0.30 per share, a penny below the $0.31 consensus after three straight small beats. Trailing twelve-month net income is about $664 million. Management has been actively reducing CRE concentration, including a roughly $1 billion loan sale to Brookfield, while investing in technology.

Valley is now also buying growth. In late September 2026 it agreed to acquire Bluevine, a digital banking platform with about 175,000 active small-business customers and about $2.1 billion of core deposits, for $340 million (75% cash, 25% stock), alongside a separate pending deal for Providence Financial. Management expects Bluevine to close in early 2027, add more than 8% to 2028 EPS, and dilute tangible book value by about 5% with a three-year earn-back. The stock closed near $12.75 on October 16, 2026, up about 9% year to date and 31% over one year, but down about 13% over three months. It trades near 10.8 times trailing and 8.3 times forward earnings. Third-quarter results are due October 22, 2026, with consensus EPS of about $0.33.

Valley's commercial real estate concentration, near 58 percent of loans and among the highest of comparable regional banks, is the central risk: a downturn in office, multifamily or construction values could drive higher provisions and charge-offs. The bank is also sensitive to interest rates and deposit competition, which can compress margin quickly. Two pending acquisitions (Bluevine and Providence Financial) add integration risk, about 5% tangible book value dilution from Bluevine, and the challenge of retaining digitally sourced deposits through a platform transition; pro forma the loan-to-deposit ratio of about 93% would still sit above management's 90% target. Credit provisioning has stayed elevated, and its geographic focus on New York and New Jersey ties results to those regional economies. A broader repeat of the 2023 regional-bank deposit stress would pressure the stock, and the dividend depends on continued earnings stability.

14 analysts publish price targets on VLY, averaging $16.50 against a $12.66 price as of October 2026, or +30.3%. The published targets run from $15.00 to $18.00, a narrow spread, and the ratings split 11 buy, 3 hold, 0 sell. Over the last six months there have been 8 raises and 3 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.

Read the full VLY forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.

We give no verdict on Valley National Bancorp. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.

The case for buying. Net interest margin recovery. After a squeeze during the high-rate period, Valley's net interest margin expanded to roughly 3.17 percent in Q1 2026, up about 21 basis points year over year, as deposit costs stabilized and the loan book repriced. The most optimistic published target, $18.00, assumes this works close to its best case.

The case against. Valley's commercial real estate concentration, near 58 percent of loans and among the highest of comparable regional banks, is the central risk: a downturn in office, multifamily or construction values could drive higher provisions and charge-offs. The most pessimistic target, $15.00, is roughly what VLY is worth if this bites instead.

Read the full bull and bear case on VLY, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

No. Valley National Bancorp (VLY) has not split its stock in the last 10 years. That is a statement about the window we check rather than about the company’s entire history, so an older split is possible. It also matters less than it once did: fractional shares mean a high price per share no longer keeps smaller investors out, which removed most of the practical reason to split.

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Valley National Bancorp's investor relations page or your broker.

• Market cap: ~$7.1 billion at ~$12.75
• Revenue (TTM): ~$2.0 billion; Q2 2026 ~$561 million (+15% YoY)
• Net income (TTM): ~$664 million; Q2 2026 ~$164 million
• Diluted EPS (Q2 2026): $0.30 vs $0.31 consensus; Q3 consensus ~$0.33
• P/E (trailing / forward): ~10.8x / ~8.3x
• Price / book: ~0.93x
• Dividend yield: ~3.5% ($0.44/yr), ~37% payout

VLY trades at about 10.8 times trailing and 8.3 times forward earnings and slightly below book value, a discount that reflects market caution on its commercial real estate book and, more recently, on the cost and execution of the Bluevine and Providence deals. Consensus expects EPS of about $1.28 in 2026 and $1.54 in 2027, and 14 analysts rate the stock a buy on average with a mean target near $16.50. The dividend yield has eased to about 3.5% as the share price rose over the past year.

Other names that sit close to VLY: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.

There are three common ways to get VLY 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 portfolio, so VLY sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where VLY 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.

New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.

VLY is a cheaply valued CRE-heavy regional bank where the investment case rests on margin recovery, lower commercial real estate concentration and cheaper deposits from acquisitions like Bluevine outweighing credit, integration and rate risk. Earnings are growing (consensus sees about 29% EPS growth in 2026), but the stock has given back about 13% over the past three months.

Whether VLY 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 VLY a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the VLY stock forecast.

For income investors, whether VLY pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does VLY pay a dividend? And to weigh VLY against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: VLY vs NJR and VLY vs WBS.