Central Bancompany still on the hunt for M&A target

Jefferson City, Missouri-based Central Bancompany Inc., which went public in November 2025, has had introductory conversations with about half of its roughly 30 potential targets for acquisition, its chief executive said on a fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call.

President and CEO JR Ross said during a road show presentation in November 2025 that issuing publicly traded stock would turn Central Bancompany into an acquirer of choice.

"We do have a currency now which makes those conversations a lot more interesting to those who are more inclined to participate in the upside of the company that we've enjoyed for so long," Ross said during the earnings call.

Central Bancompany is hoping to grow in its existing markets in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida and Colorado, but also wants to expand into Texas, a state brimming with bank M&A activity, Ross said.

The targeted banks have roughly $2 billion in assets, a high-quality deposit franchise and solid credit, and align with Central Bancompany's culture, Ross said during the earnings call.

"We are broadly encouraged by the environment," Ross said. "There is a lot of activity and conversations going on."

Executives declined to give further details on the ongoing M&A conversations, but Ross said the company hopes to announce a deal in "the not-too-distant future."

The bank's excess capital of roughly $1.8 billion, or $7.50 per share, will go toward M&A opportunities, CFO James Ciroli said.

In the meantime, Central Bancompany is opening at least two new branches in St. Louis and Denver, Chief Customer Officer Daniel Westhues said.

The St. Louis branch will come online in the next couple of months and will be followed by at least two more branches to open in the area in 2026. The Denver branch is expected to open in the second quarter of 2026, Westhues said.