** Shares of regional lender Pinnacle Financial PNFP.N rise 3.07% to 98.02

** Piper Sandler upgrades PNFP to "overweight" from "neutral"

** PNFP's deal with Synovus Financial increases long-term earnings power and the combined bank retains strong growth characteristics, brokerage says

** PNFP and SNV agreed to combine in an $8.6 billion all-stock deal in July 2025, forming one of the largest regional banks in the southeastern U.S.

** Brokerage says PNFP was oversold after the deal and it expects the stock to recover as investor concerns fade, the combined bank shows steady growth, and potential catalysts such as regulatory relief and merger cost-savings lift performance

** Piper Sandler raises PT to $120 from $117, implying a 26.3% upside to stock's last close

** 10 of 15 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher and 5 hold; median PT is $113 - data compiled by LSEG

** Including session's moves, PNFP down 16.5% in last 12 months

(Reporting by Pragyan Kalita in Bengaluru)

((Pragyan.Kalita@thomsonreuters.com))