US earnings calls, October 19-20, 2026: two banks assume a December rate hike

United Community Bank and SmartFinancial said their outlooks assume a December rate hike. Valmont Industries raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) guidance to $22.75-$23.75.

An update from FactIQ, written from company statements in earnings calls of companies listed in the United States. What is FactIQ?

Key figures

Valmont Industries, adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance, fiscal year 2026

$22.75-$23.75stated by the chief financial officer; guidance raised

United Community Bank, expected net interest margin, fourth quarter of fiscal 2026

mid-3.70% rangestated by the chief financial officer; outlook assumes a 25-basis-point rate hike in December

Mercantile Bank Corporation, total deposit growth, 12 months ended September 30, 2026

17%stated by the chief executive

Vicor, expected royalty revenue, fourth quarter of fiscal 2026

$43 millionstated by the chief financial officer; at least this amount, assuming no new license agreements are closed that quarter

Two banks and a mortgage investor are planning around higher interest rates

United Community Bank's chief financial officer said its outlook assumes a 25-basis-point rate hike in December. A basis point is one hundredth of a percentage point. The chief financial officer said United expects its net interest margin (NIM), the gap between what a bank earns on loans and pays on deposits, to expand to the mid-3.70% range in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026.
SmartFinancial's chief financial officer said its guidance includes an assumed rate hike in December. SmartFinancial expects its fourth-quarter NIM to remain around current levels, in the 3.45% range.
AGNC Investment Corp.'s chief executive said market expectations for Federal Reserve policy shifted from three expected rate cuts by year end to four expected rate hikes by mid-2027. The chief executive said the 10-year Treasury yield may trade in a new range of approximately 4.90% to 5.40% for a period of time.

Valmont Industries raised its earnings guidance and kept its sales outlook

Valmont's chief financial officer said the company raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) guidance to $22.75-$23.75. The company reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 net sales outlook at $4.3 billion to $4.45 billion. The chief financial officer said its third-quarter operating margin excluding one-time items was just north of 14% of revenue.

Regional banks expect loan growth to continue

Atlantic Union Bancshares' chief executive said the bank expects fiscal 2026 loan growth toward the lower end of the high single-digit range. Its chief financial officer projected year-end loans at $29 billion-$30 billion.
Mercantile Bank Corporation's chief financial officer projected annualized net loan growth of 5%-7%. Its chief executive said total deposits grew 17% in the 12 months ended September 30, 2026.

Vicor expects product revenue and licensing income to rise

Vicor's chief financial officer said the company expects product revenue to increase 10% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. The chief financial officer said Vicor expects at least $43 million in royalty revenue in that quarter, assuming no new license agreements are closed.

About FactIQ and these updates

What FactIQ is. FactIQ is a database of official statistics from government agencies, central banks and international organisations in the US, China, India, Europe and elsewhere. AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT connect to it to look up the exact figures and cite the agency that published them. It also holds what companies report in their filings and say on their earnings calls.

How an update is made. FactIQ reads each new earnings call or filing and stores the statements with numbers, each with the exact quote it came from. An AI model then writes a short summary of those statements. Before it is published, code checks that every number in the summary matches a stored statement, and a second review checks that nothing is overstated or presented as fact when the company only expects it.

What this is not. The figures are what each company said or filed. FactIQ does not rate companies or recommend shares.