Investment Manager Doubles Down on Regional Bank Stock, According to Recent Filing

Verity & Verity, LLC disclosed a buy of 115,245 shares of Atlantic Union Bankshares (NYSE:AUB), an estimated $3.92 million trade, in its October 21, 2025, SEC filing.

What Happened

According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dated October 21, 2025, Verity & Verity, LLC increased its holdings in Atlantic Union Bankshares by 115,245 shares. The estimated value of the trade, based on the average closing price in Q3 2025, was approximately $3.92 million. The fund now holds 504,420 shares, worth $17.80 million.

What Else to Know

This was a buy; the AUB stake now accounts for 1.42% of Verity & Verity, LLC’s 13F reportable AUM.

Top holdings after the filing:

• NASDAQ:AVGO: $69.37 million (5.6% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NYSE:ABBV: $40.14 million (3.2% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NASDAQ:MSFT: $39.27 million (3.1% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NYSE:JPM: $39.13 million (3.13% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• NYSE:RTX: $35.77 million (2.86% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025

As of October 20, 2025, shares were priced at $34.32, down 5.2% over the past year. Shares have underperformed the S&P 500 by 25.99 percentage points.

Company Overview

Company Snapshot

Atlantic Union Bankshares is a regional bank holding company with operations in the Mid-Atlantic region. The company leverages its broad branch network and comprehensive financial product suite to address the diverse needs of retail and commercial customers.

The company offers a full suite of banking products and services, including deposit accounts, commercial and consumer loans, credit cards, wealth management, and investment advisory solutions. It generates revenue primarily through net interest income from lending and deposit activities, as well as fee-based income from wealth management and transaction services.

Atlantic Union Bankshares provides financial services to consumers and businesses in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.

Foolish Take

By adding to its existing stake in Atlantic Union Bankshares, investment manager Verity & Verity is showing additional confidence in the stock of this regional bank.

This purchase comes at an interesting time, as shares of Atlantic Union have not performed particularly well year-to-date. Indeed, shares have generated a total return of (7%) so far this year. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has advanced by 15%. Even within its own regional bank sector, Atlantic Union has underperformed. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) has generated a total return of 2% year-to-date, eclipsing Atlantic Union shares by nearly 10%.

In any event, while this purchase does demonstrate renewed institutional confidence in Atlantic Union, retail investors may be better served to focus on ETFs within the financial sector.

The aforementioned SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF provides a wide exposure to regional banks through the United States, along with a healthy dividend yield of around 2.6%. There are also other alternatives in the financial sector.

The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) claims all of the largest financial stocks among its top holdings, such as Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and Visa. For those investors looking for exposure to a broad array of solely banking institutions, the Invesco KBW Bank ETF (KBWB) is an ETF to consider.

To sum up, this transaction is a slight vote of confidence in Atlantic Union Bankshares by a single investment manager. However, for many retail investors, a financial sector ETF might be a better choice. Many such ETFs exist, which target regional banks, large cap financial stocks, or banking stocks large and small.

Glossary

13F reportable AUM: Assets under management that must be disclosed in quarterly SEC Form 13F filings by institutional investment managers.
AUM (Assets Under Management): The total market value of investments managed on behalf of clients by a fund or firm.
Alpha: A measure of an investment’s performance relative to a benchmark, showing excess return or underperformance.
Dividend yield: Annual dividends per share divided by the share price, expressed as a percentage.
Trailing twelve months (TTM): The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.
Net interest income: The difference between interest earned on loans and interest paid on deposits by a bank.
Fee-based income: Revenue earned from services such as wealth management or transaction processing, not from lending activities.
Regional bank holding company: A company that owns and controls banks operating primarily in a specific geographic area.
Stake: The amount or percentage of ownership an investor or fund holds in a company.
Buy (in fund context): The act of increasing a fund’s position in a particular security.
Top holdings: The largest investments in a fund’s portfolio, typically ranked by market value.
Market capitalization: The total value of a company’s outstanding shares, calculated as share price times shares outstanding.

JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Jake Lerch has positions in SPDR Series Trust - SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie, JPMorgan Chase, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and RTX and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.