** Hovde Group raises price target on regional lender Atlantic Union Bankshares AUB.N to $42 from $40, a 16.6% upside to the stock's last close

** Brokerage notes previous sessions' share increase of up to 4% has raised the company's valuation to about 12 times its 2026 EPS estimate

** Wednesday's AUB 2026 projections largely aligned with Hovde’s estimates and suggest potential consensus upside, strengthening the growth narrative, brokerage says

** After completing four targeted acquisitions and building a $37 billion franchise, AUB is pivoting from M&A-driven expansion to organic execution, brokerage says

** 6 of 9 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 3 "hold"; median PT is $41.75 — data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, AUB down 5% YTD

(Reporting by Pragyan Kalita in Bengaluru)

((Pragyan.Kalita@thomsonreuters.com))