BAR HARBOR BANKSHARES MERGES WITH GUARANTY BANCORP
Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE MKT: BHB) has announced its acquisition of Guaranty Bancorp (OTC: GUAA) in an all-stock deal valued at $41.6 million, or $56.94 per share. Under the merger terms, each share of Guaranty stock will be exchanged for 1.85 shares of Bar Harbor stock. The merger, expected to be accretive to Bar Harbor’s earnings per share, will combine two community banks with complementary operations in Northern New England.
Guaranty, operating as Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank with nine branches in New Hampshire, reported $456 million in net loans and $530 million in deposits as of December 2024. The merged entity will operate as Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, with around 60 branches in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and approximately $4.8 billion in assets.
Both companies’ leaders emphasize the cultural alignment and community-focused nature of the merger. The deal is expected to provide enhanced resources to support the region’s consumers and businesses. The merger is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and is targeted to complete in the second half of 2025. Upon completion, Bar Harbor shareholders will own 92% of the combined entity, with Guaranty shareholders owning 8%.
Piper Sandler & Co. served as the financial advisor to Bar Harbor, and Griffin Financial Group LLC served as the financial advisor to Guaranty. Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP served as legal counsel to Bar Harbor, while Goodwin Procter LLP served as legal counsel to Guaranty.
STOCK MARKET SET FOR 8% SURGE IN 2026
The stock market had a tough start to 2025, with the S&P 500 falling 10% amid recession fears, economic uncertainty and trade tensions. Despite a mid-March rally, projections turned bearish, and the initially forecasted modest 2.4% growth for 2025 was revised to a 2.9% decline, marking the second downturn in three years. However, 2026 is expected to see a recovery, with global markets projected to surge 8%, according to data presented by Stocklytics.com.
The global market faced significant challenges in 2025, including a $4 trillion drop in market value caused by escalating trade tensions, particularly from the U.S. government’s AI chip export restrictions to China. The Federal Reserve’s delayed interest rate cuts and a drop in IPOs and mergers added to the volatility. This led to a market contraction, with total market capitalization expected to fall to $128 trillion, a $3 trillion decline from previous projections.
Despite the setbacks, Statista forecasts an 8% growth in the global stock market in 2026, bringing the total market cap to a record $138.4 trillion.
However, concerns about overvaluation remain, with the Buffett Indicator signaling moderate to significant overvaluation across major markets. While the U.S. market will see the highest increase in its Buffett Index, China remains the only undervalued market among the top five, though its index will rise as well.
ICAD REPORTS 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS
iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD), a leader in AIpowered breast health solutions, reported strong financial results for Q4 and FY 2024. In Q4, the company achieved $5.4 million in total revenue, a 14% increase from the previous year. Its Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) grew by 11% to $9.8 million. Gross profit margin remained high at 86%. Key achievements included FDA clearance for ProFound Detection V4.0 and new distribution agreements in South Africa, Portugal and the U.K. The company closed 382 deals in 2024, 42 of which were ProFound Cloud-related.
For the full year, iCAD saw total revenue of $19.6 million, a 13% increase from 2023. Despite a net loss of $5.6 million, improved customer adoption of its SaaS model and international expansion positions the company for future growth.
Operating expenses increased slightly to $22.9 million, and the company reported a non-GAAP adjusted net loss of $5.4 million for 2024.
iCAD’s CEO, Dana Brown, highlighted the company’s progress in transitioning to a SaaS model and expects 2025 to be a pivotal year. The company’s cash position stood at $17.2 million, which is expected to fund operations for at least the next 12 months without the need for additional funding.
