Columbia Banking price target raised to $26 from $22 at Stephens

Stephens raised the firm’s price target on Columbia Banking to $26 from $22 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares after Columbia reported Q2 operating EPS of 67c, beating the firm’s forecast for 58c and Street’s 57c estimate. Loan growth is expected in the low-single digits range for the balance of the year, notes the analyst, who thought deposit commentary “appeared positive.”