ACNB declares fourth-quarter dividends of $0.46 regular and $0.75 special per share
Key Facts
ACNB’s board declared a regular cash dividend of $0.46 per share for the fourth quarter of 2026 on October 28, along with a special dividend of $0.75 per share, according to a summary of the announcement carried by GlobeNewswire. Details on the record date or payment date were not available in the announcement text reviewed. The decision comes days after the company reported third-quarter results, which its chief executive described as the strongest quarterly earnings performance in its 169-year history. The latest results reflect growth in net income and earnings per share compared with the same period a year earlier.
ACNB’s net income for the three months ended September 30, 2026, was about $15.7 million, or $1.55 per diluted share, compared with $14.9 million and $1.42 per share in the third quarter of 2025, according to a company filing. The company posted a return on average assets of 1.87% and a return on average equity of 14.67% in the latest quarter. Chief Executive James Helt said the results represented the strongest quarterly earnings performance in the company’s 169-year history. He attributed that performance to the strength of community banking activity and disciplined execution, according to the earnings statement. These indicators provide financial context for the dividend announcement, although the company did not cite a specific reason for the decision in its dividend announcement summary.
Net interest margin on a tax-equivalent basis was 4.56% in the third quarter of 2026, the same level as in the second quarter, compared with 4.27% in the third quarter of 2025. ACNB said net interest income rose $2.6 million year over year, driven mainly by loan growth and by funding loans and investment securities during the quarter at rates higher than those on assets that were repaid or matured. Total loans, net of unearned income, were about $2.407 billion on September 30, up $69.9 million from a year earlier. The company attributed the increase mainly to growth in commercial real estate loans. The figures indicate that lending growth and improved returns on earning assets accompanied the rise in net interest margin over the year.
Noninterest-bearing deposits were $612.6 million on September 30, 2026, up 2.0% from June 30, equivalent to an annualized growth rate of 8.17% in the third quarter, according to a company filing. Helt said ACNB achieved modest loan growth and good growth in core funding, enabling it to repay some brokered deposits. He added that overall credit metrics remained sound despite a single credit issue during the quarter. The ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets was 10.47% on September 30, compared with 10.14% on the same date a year earlier. The ratio remained at its level at the end of June, the company said.
The dividend announcement came as ACNB continued to repurchase shares alongside its cash dividends. The company repurchased 11,288 shares in the open market during the third quarter of 2026 and had 242,404 shares still available under its existing repurchase plan on September 30. The October announcement summary did not say whether the special dividend was related to the plan or to third-quarter results. In an earlier filing, the company said its regular dividend was $0.42 per share in the second and third quarters of 2026, up 23.5% from $0.34 in the third quarter of 2025. ACNB shares also closed at $65.29 on October 27, according to EL7 data.