Ames National Reports Strong Earnings Growth Amid Deteriorating Asset Quality and Debt Covenant Breach
ATLO sits 71% above its 52-week low of $18.295.
Summary
Ames National reported strong Q2 earnings, but a significant increase in problem loans and a debt covenant breach highlight deteriorating asset quality and financial risk.
Key Events · Earnings and Guidance · ATLO
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Strong Q2 Earnings Growth
Net income increased 31.5% to $5.9M ($0.67/share) in Q2 2026, and 49.5% to $11.9M ($1.34/share) year-to-date, primarily driven by higher net interest income.
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Deteriorating Asset Quality
Problem loans rose to 1.55% of total loans (vs. 0.60% peer average). Loans past due 30+ days surged 208% to $22.5M, mainly due to agricultural and commercial real estate loans.
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Debt Covenant Breached
The company breached a debt covenant related to its modified Texas Ratio (29.2% vs. 25% threshold), though a waiver was obtained from the lender. The ratio is significantly higher than the peer average.
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Increased Substandard-Impaired Loans
Substandard-impaired loans increased 30.8% to $19.1M, primarily due to one agricultural loan relationship.
Analysis · ATLO · Finance
Ames National Corporation reported strong Q2 and year-to-date 2026 earnings, driven by increased net interest income and an improved efficiency ratio. However, these positive financial results are significantly overshadowed by a substantial deterioration in asset quality. Problem loans, nonaccrual loans, and loans past due 30 days or more all increased significantly. The company also breached a debt covenant related to its modified Texas Ratio, which stands at a high 29.2% (compared to a peer average of 0.60%), although the lender provided a waiver. This indicates considerable underlying credit risk despite the headline earnings growth.
How filings like this one have moved
In the 30 days to Oct 5, 2026, 36.9% of the 964 measured filings Wiseek scored 8 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was -0.65%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
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At the time of this filing, ATLO was trading at $31.25 on NASDAQ in the Finance sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $276.8M. The 52-week trading range was $18.30 to $32.16. This filing was assessed with negative market sentiment and an importance score of 8 out of 10.