Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Pathward Financial (NASDAQ: CASH) and the best and worst performers in the regional banks industry.

Regional banks, financial institutions operating within specific geographic areas, serve as intermediaries between local depositors and borrowers. They benefit from rising interest rates that improve net interest margins (the difference between loan yields and deposit costs), digital transformation reducing operational expenses, and local economic growth driving loan demand. However, these banks face headwinds from fintech competition, deposit outflows to higher-yielding alternatives, credit deterioration (increasing loan defaults) during economic slowdowns, and regulatory compliance costs. Recent concerns about regional bank stability following high-profile failures and significant commercial real estate exposure present additional challenges.

The 101 regional banks stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.3%.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 9.2% on average since the latest earnings results.

Pathward Financial (NASDAQ: CASH)

Formerly known as Meta Financial until its 2022 rebranding, Pathward Financial (NASDAQ: CASH) provides banking-as-a-service solutions and commercial finance products, enabling partners to offer financial services like prepaid cards, payment processing, and lending options.

Pathward Financial reported revenues of $187.8 million, up 4.6% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 0.9%, but it was still a satisfactory quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

CEO Brett Pharr said, "We are very pleased with our performance in the fiscal year. We completed the sale of our Insurance Premium Finance business, as well as a transportation portfolio, hired a new Chief People and Culture Officer, and won multiple awards. We did all of this and still delivered on the strategy we laid out for fiscal 2025 at the end of last year, generating both net income and earnings per diluted share growth. We believe we have put ourselves in a strong position to continue delivering on our strategy and remaining the trusted platform that enables our partners to thrive. "

Interestingly, the stock is up 1.7% since reporting and currently trades at $73.01.

Is now the time to buy Pathward Financial? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best Q3: Customers Bancorp (NYSE: CUBI)

Originally founded with a "high-tech, high-touch" branch-light banking strategy, Customers Bancorp (NYSE: CUBI) is a bank holding company that provides commercial and consumer banking services through its Customers Bank subsidiary, with a focus on business lending and digital banking.

Customers Bancorp reported revenues of $231.8 million, up 38.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 6.9%. The business had a stunning quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ net interest income estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 17.8% since reporting. It currently trades at $77.19.

Is now the time to buy Customers Bancorp? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Weakest Q3: The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK)

Operating behind the scenes of many popular fintech apps and prepaid cards you might use daily, The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK) is a bank holding company that specializes in providing banking services to fintech companies and offering specialty lending products.

The Bancorp reported revenues of $174.7 million, up 38.8% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 9.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and net interest income estimates.

The Bancorp delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 9.8% since the results and currently trades at $69.64.

Read our full analysis of The Bancorp’s results here.

TowneBank (NASDAQ: TOWN)

Founded in 1998 with a commitment to community-centered banking in the Hampton Roads region, TowneBank (NASDAQ: TOWN) is a community-focused financial institution providing banking, lending, and wealth management services to individuals and businesses in Virginia and North Carolina.

TowneBank reported revenues of $215.7 million, up 23.6% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ tangible book value per share estimates but a miss of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

The stock is up 2.3% since reporting and currently trades at $34.38.

Read our full, actionable report on TowneBank here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Regions Financial (NYSE: RF)

Tracing its roots back to 1971 and operating in a region known as the "heart of Dixie," Regions Financial (NYSE: RF) is a financial holding company that provides banking services, wealth management, and specialty financial solutions across the South, Midwest, and Texas.

Regions Financial reported revenues of $1.95 billion, up 3.9% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a narrow beat of analysts’ tangible book value per share estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

The stock is up 22.7% since reporting and currently trades at $28.65.

Read our full, actionable report on Regions Financial here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.