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NRIMNorthrim BanCorp IncSell5.7·$27.66+0.40%
NRIM · Why this verdict

Why Northrim BanCorp (NRIM) is rated SELL

Updated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictSELL
Overall score5.7/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL
TrendMatrix Research · core thesis

Engine thesis — one sentence

A stated margin of safety and strong fundamentals are offset by a reached analyst target with limited upside, a mixed earnings record with weak growth, and a newly negative reward/risk reading, arguing for trimming the position.

Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.

Thesis pillars

The position is flagged as carrying a 37% margin of safety, suggesting a valuation cushion versus intrinsic value.

Stable
Bull case
Expectation
The margin of safety should be preserved or widen as the price stays below intrinsic value over the next 12 months.

CounterA stated margin of safety can be undermined if weak growth persists, since a slowly growing business may deserve a lower intrinsic value than the estimate assumes.

The analyst price target has effectively been reached, leaving limited upside remaining at roughly 6% below the noted target level.

Improving
Bear case
Expectation
A higher analyst target should emerge to reopen upside room over the next 12 months.

CounterLight analyst coverage means the current target may simply be stale, and a re-rating higher could occur quickly if coverage expands or improves.

The company has missed earnings estimates in two of its last four reported quarters and is separately flagged for weak growth.

Improving
Bear case
Expectation
The company should return to a consistent beat pattern, with earnings surprise turning positive and the growth score improving, over the next 12 months.

CounterA 50/50 beat-miss split alongside strong margins and a near-perfect Piotroski F-Score suggests the underlying business remains fundamentally sound despite uneven quarterly results.

The reward/risk setup has turned negative, with an asymmetry ratio of -0.5, meaning the downside to the stop-loss now outweighs the upside to the take-profit level.

Improving
Warnings
Expectation
The reward/risk ratio should turn positive again, with upside to the take-profit level exceeding the downside to the stop-loss, over the next 12 months.

CounterA negative reward/risk reading can persist in a range-bound bank stock without necessarily signaling a genuine deterioration in the underlying business.

Implied volatility is elevated at 87%, reflecting the market's pricing of meaningful uncertainty in the shares.

Improving
Risk breakdown
Expectation
Implied volatility should compress well below 87% as uncertainty resolves over the next 12 months.

CounterElevated implied volatility around earnings dates for a small regional bank can be temporary and doesn't necessarily reflect a persistent risk premium.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

6.8/10data confidence 67%
ComponentSub-score
P/E9.1
P/S8.3
Fwd P/E9.3
PEG1.9
  • Forward P/E: 10.2x
  • PEG: 6.00

Quality

6.2/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
ROE7.0
ROA1.3
Gross margin0.0
Op margin10.0
Net margin10.0
Moat5.9
Piotroski F8.9
  • Strong margins: 31%
  • Strong Piotroski F-Score: 8/9

Growth

3.1/10data confidence 67%
ComponentSub-score
Rev growth4.0
EPS growth2.3

Momentum

5.4/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI5.5
MACD2.7
OBV10.0
MA position9.0
Volume0.0
  • Volume accumulation (rising OBV)
  • Above 200-day MA

Sentiment

6.0/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
LLM sentiment6.0
Analyst rating5.9
Price target6.2
  • Light analyst coverage (2.0) — signal dampened

Insider

7.3/10data confidence 75%
ComponentSub-score
materiality5.0
holder change10.0
notable moves7.0
  • No net insider activity — $0 (0.000% of mkt cap)
  • Institutions accumulating

Peer rank

5.8/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank9.0
quality rank7.3
growth rank1.9
  • Attractive P/E vs peers
  • Superior ROE vs peers

Technical

5.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger4.2
support resistance3.6
52w position8.2
gap6.0

Risk (lower is worse)

7.2/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest8.9
days to cover8.3
volatility4.0
put call10.0
implied vol6.2
beta7.7
news risk5.5
  • Concentration risks: 1 HIGH, 2 MED (10-K Item 1A — sized via position_sizing, validated via buy_confidence)

Catalyst

4.4/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
erm3.5
earnings history3.3
surprise avg3.8
dividend safety5.5
news activity6.0
  • Earnings concerns: 2B/2M

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Maintain position. Not compelling to add more. | News modifier -2 (HOLD_IF_HOLDING → SELL_IF_HOLDING).

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L4:PATH_F_HOLD|L3:NEWS_MOD=-2
Passed (6)
  • MOMENTUM:5.4>=4.5
  • INSIDER:OK
  • 8K:CLEAN
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:NO_DATE
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (2)
  • ASYMMETRY:-1.1=NEGATIVE
  • FINSVC_REGIONAL_CLIFF:HARD_BLOCK
Warning (1)
  • MOMENTUM:5.4<5.5 (soft — BUY_NOW allowed but watch)
Reward-to-Risk
-1.11
Upside
-7.8%
Downside
7.0%
Sizing output
AVOID

SetupRange Bound RSI 55 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band

EdgeNo clear edge No clear edge identified

SuitabilityAggressive MCap $0.6B<$5B

Investment implication

None of the engine's positive-conviction paths (C-quality, D-momentum) triggered — the F-path HOLD reflects balanced signals. Strongest-cleared gate: MOMENTUM:5.4>=4.5. Top dim: Insider at 7.3; weakest: Growth at 3.1. No conviction either direction.

The strongest dimensions are Insider at 7.3, Risk (lower is worse) at 7.2, and Value at 6.8; the weakest are Growth at 3.1, Catalyst at 4.4, and Momentum at 5.4. The V9 engine flagged 2 failed gates with 1 warning, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of -1.11 and an engine sizing output of AVOID.

What would invalidate the thesis

Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.

  • P1Margin Of Safety Valuation Cushion

    Trip ifThe margin of safety compresses below 10% from the current 37%.

  • P2Limited Upside Analyst Target Reached

    Trip ifThe take-profit target rises above $30.00, exceeding the current $27.12 price by more than 10%.

  • P3Consecutive Misses Weak Growth

    Trip ifEarnings surprise turns positive for 2 consecutive quarters and the growth score rises above 5.0 from the current 3.1.

  • P4Negative Reward Risk Asymmetry

    Trip ifThe reward-to-risk ratio rises above 1.0 from the current -0.5.

  • P5Elevated Implied Volatility Risk

    Trip ifImplied volatility compresses below 50% from the current 87%.

Engine reasoning is mechanically derived from pipeline gate outputs. See decision view.

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