Northwest Bancshares' (NWBI) earnings is expected to dip slightly in 2020 mainly due to net interest margin compression. Loan growth is expected to offset some of the negative impact of lower margin. Despite the prospects of earnings decline, I expect NWBI to maintain its tradition of increasing dividends every year.
Loan Growth to Slow to 4% in 2020
NWBI focuses on residential mortgage and commercial real estate loans in Pennsylvania, Western New York, and eastern Ohio. Consequently, NWBI's loan growth is largely dependent on the strength of the housing market and business sentiment