Civista Bancshares Raises Quarterly Dividend 5.9% to $0.18 Per Share
Civista Bancshares, Inc., an Ohio-based community bank holding company, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per share, up from $0.17 in the prior quarter. The increase represents an annualized yield of 3.16% based on the March 31, 2026 closing price.
Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CIVB), an Ohio-based community bank holding company, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per share, representing a 5.9% increase from the prior quarter's $0.17 per share. The company did not disclose record, ex-dividend, or payment dates in its announcement. Read more dividend announcements.
Based on the company's March 31, 2026 closing share price of $22.79, the $0.18 quarterly dividend translates to an annualized yield of 3.16% and a payout ratio of 24.91%.
| Dividend Details | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dividend Per Share | $0.18 |
| Previous Dividend | $0.17 |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Annualized Yield | 3.16% |
| Payout Ratio | 24.91% |
First Quarter 2026 Financial Performance
The dividend increase comes as Civista reported improved profitability metrics for the first quarter of 2026. Return on average assets climbed to 1.41%, up from 1.00% in the year-ago quarter and 1.14% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Return on average equity reached 10.97%, compared to 10.39% a year earlier and 9.26% in the prior quarter.
Net interest income totaled $37.8 million, up $5.1 million or 15.4% from the first quarter of 2025 and up $1.4 million or 3.8% from the fourth quarter of 2025. The company's net interest margin expanded to 3.82%, up 4 basis points year-over-year and 16 basis points sequentially, driven by lower funding costs and disciplined balance sheet management.
The cost of deposits declined to 181 basis points in the first quarter, down 19 basis points from 200 basis points a year earlier and 11 basis points lower than the 192 basis points recorded in the fourth quarter. Overall cost of funds dropped to 196 basis points, down 35 basis points year-over-year and 12 basis points quarter-over-quarter.
The efficiency ratio improved to 60.1% from 64.9% in the first quarter of 2025.
Balance Sheet Trends
Total assets stood at $4.3 billion at March 31, 2026, down $38.1 million or 0.9% from December 31, 2025. Loan and lease balances decreased $40.4 million or 1.2%, reflecting seasonal construction runoff and loan payoffs.
Real estate construction loans fell $30.9 million, primarily due to seasonal construction patterns that typically see the lowest activity in the first quarter, combined with projects moving from temporary to permanent financing. Commercial real estate non-owner occupied loans decreased $6.2 million, mainly from loan payoffs, while residential real estate loans dipped $1.0 million.
Total deposits increased $35.4 million or 1.0% to $3.5 billion. Interest-bearing demand deposits rose $18.9 million, driven by increases of $18.6 million in interest-bearing public funds and $5.0 million in business interest-bearing demand deposits.
Tangible book value per share was $19.70 at March 31, 2026. The allowance for credit losses on loans stood at 1.26% of total loans.