1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW): BCG Matrix [Dec-2025 Updated]

You're looking at 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) right now, and frankly, the picture is mixed as they navigate their strategic review following the March 2025 delisting. We need to map their core business-from the 11.54% net loan portfolio growth that hints at a Star, to the legacy issues dragging down performance, reflected in that $4.88$ million allowance for loan losses in Q3 2025. This BCG Matrix breakdown cuts through the noise, showing exactly where their stable Cash Cows are and which high-stakes Question Marks, like that 129.73% jump in money markets, demand immediate executive attention.

Background of 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW)

You're looking at the landscape of 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW), which you should know is the holding company for PyraMax Bank, FSB. This institution, which started way back in 1895, operates as a savings and loan holding company based in Greenfield, Wisconsin. Its core business, honestly, is taking deposits from the general public and putting that money to work through various lending activities in the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

PyraMax Bank, FSB, provides a full suite of financial services to its commercial and retail customers across its offices in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Ozaukee Counties. You'll find the standard offerings here: checking, savings, certificate of deposits, and money market accounts. On the lending side, their portfolio is concentrated in one-to-four-family residential real estate loans, commercial real estate loans, general commercial loans, and consumer loans.

Financially speaking, the company's scale is quite small; its market capitalization hovers around $55 million as of late 2025, with the stock trading near $10.82 per share. For context, the trailing twelve months (TTM) revenue was reported at $13.321 million, though the full-year 2023 revenue was slightly lower at $9.98 million. Keep in mind, BCOW defintely does not pay a dividend to shareholders.

A major recent event you need to track is the strategic shift announced in February 2025. 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. hired Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. to look into strategic alternatives, which could mean a business combination or a sale of control. Alongside this, the company voluntarily delisted its common stock from the Nasdaq Stock Market on March 7, 2025, with trading expected to continue on the OTCQX Market starting March 10, 2025.

1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) - BCG Matrix: Stars

Net Loan portfolio growth, up 11.54% to $444.14 million as of Q3 2025, is the closest to a Star for 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW).

Commercial Real Estate (CRE) lending, a high-growth target for community banks, but with low relative market share in the metro Milwaukee area, is a key area of focus for investment.

The CRE loan portfolio was reported at $231.9 million, representing 58.3 of the total loan portfolio at one point in time, aligning with the strategy to increase originations in this segment to diversify and increase yield.

Any new, successful digital banking initiatives that are capturing a younger, high-growth deposit base would be a strong indicator of a Star business unit, though specific metrics are not publicly detailed for 2025.

Focused expansion within high-growth Waukesha County, where 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) operates two of its six branches, represents a market where high growth and market share pursuit are actively managed.

Here's a quick look at the loan portfolio context:

Stars consume large amounts of cash to maintain their high growth rate, often resulting in a break-even cash flow situation where money coming in equals money going out.

The strategy for 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) must be to invest in these areas to secure future market leadership, which could transition them into Cash Cows when market growth decelerates.

Key operational areas aligning with the Star investment thesis include:

• Sustaining Net Loan portfolio growth above 11.54%.
• Increasing market share in CRE lending within the metro Milwaukee area.
• Achieving measurable growth in deposits from younger demographics via digital channels.
• Driving loan production growth specifically from the two branches in Waukesha County.

1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) - BCG Matrix: Cash Cows

You're analyzing the core, stable businesses of 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW), which, under the BCG framework, are the Cash Cows. These are the established units with high market share in slow-growth areas, reliably funding the rest of the enterprise. For PyraMax Bank, FSB, this stability is rooted in its local franchise and traditional lending focus.

The core deposit base is the bedrock of this stability, providing a funding source that is typically lower cost and less volatile than wholesale funding, fitting the low-growth, mature local market profile. While the specific 2025 deposit figures aren't immediately available in the latest public summaries, the bank's structure suggests this is a primary cash generator. The bank operates from a fixed network of six full-service banking offices across Milwaukee County (three offices), Waukesha County (two offices), and Ozaukee County (one office) in Wisconsin. This localized presence helps secure consistent, long-term customer relationships, which translates directly into sticky, low-cost deposits.

One-to-four-family residential real estate loans represent a classic Cash Cow asset class for a community bank like PyraMax Bank. These loans are generally considered lower risk and provide a steady stream of interest income in a mature, albeit local, housing market. The bank's historical product mix includes this category alongside commercial real estate and consumer loans. To maintain this steady income, the bank must invest just enough to keep the portfolio performing, but not aggressively expand into high-growth, high-cost areas.

Bank-Owned Life Insurance (BOLI) assets are another component that fits the Cash Cow profile. These investments are typically held for a long duration and provide a reliable, tax-advantaged income stream, acting as a passive cash contributor to the holding company. The exact 2025 BOLI asset value is required for precise analysis, but its function is to generate predictable, low-effort returns.

Here's a look at the structural elements that define these Cash Cows, based on the latest available structural data:

The strategy here is to 'milk' these assets. You want to ensure the infrastructure supporting these operations-like the branch network and loan servicing systems-is efficient. Investments should focus on maintenance and efficiency improvements rather than aggressive expansion or promotion. For instance, optimizing the operational cost per loan in the one-to-four-family portfolio or maximizing the yield on BOLI assets without increasing risk are key actions. The recent strategic review announcement in February 2025, leading to a move to the OTCQX Market in March 2025, suggests management is focused on streamlining operations and maximizing shareholder value from these stable assets, rather than pursuing high-growth, high-cost expansion strategies.

The stability of these units is what allows 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. to cover administrative costs and potentially fund any Question Marks. Consider the following characteristics:

• High market share in the local Milwaukee metropolitan area banking market.
• Low growth prospects in the established local market.
• Generates more cash than it consumes for maintenance.
• BOLI assets provide a reliable, tax-advantaged income stream.

If onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk rises, but for these established deposit relationships, the stickiness is high. The focus is on maintaining the status quo productivity. Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) - BCG Matrix: Dogs

The classification of 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) business units as Dogs reflects a situation where market share is low and growth prospects are minimal, tying up capital that could be better deployed elsewhere. This quadrant demands rigorous review, as expensive turnaround efforts rarely yield success in inherently low-growth, low-market-share environments.

The overall company status, as reflected by the strategic move away from public exchange listing, strongly suggests a Dog-like profile for the core business or at least a significant portion of its operations. 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. voluntarily delisted its common stock from the Nasdaq Stock Market, with the last day of trading occurring on March 7, 2025. Subsequently, the company began trading on the OTCQX Market starting March 10, 2025. Furthermore, the company intended to file a Form 15 with the SEC on March 17, 2025, suspending its obligation to file periodic reports like Forms 10-K and 10-Q. This shift to the over-the-counter market is a classic indicator of low institutional interest and perceived low growth potential.

Investor interest, or lack thereof, is quantified by the trading activity on the OTCQX Market. The data shows an average trading volume of only 3.41K shares, signaling minimal liquidity and low investor engagement for BCOW. For context, on a specific recent trading day, the volume reached just 600 shares, compared to the average. The stock has traded in a 52-week range between a low of $5.94 and a high of $15.72.

Asset quality concerns, which often plague low-growth entities, are reflected in the allowance for credit losses. While the specific requested dollar amount for Q3 2025 was not located, the ratio of the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses/Allowance for Credit Losses for Wisconsin state-chartered banks was reported as 1.40% as of June 30, 2025, up from 1.31% as of September 30, 2024. This metric suggests potential strain on the loan portfolio, which is a characteristic often associated with Dog segments requiring cash reserves.

The operational structure supporting the business involves maintaining a physical footprint, though specific cost data tied to legacy operations was not found. The company, through its subsidiary PyraMax Bank, FSB, operates with 96 employees. The decision to reduce public reporting obligations was explicitly aimed at reducing compliance and accounting expenses, suggesting these fixed costs are a drag on profitability for the current scale of operations.

Here are key statistics reflecting the current market and operational standing:

The core issues driving the Dog classification for 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. can be summarized by these factors:

• Voluntary exit from Nasdaq to the OTCQX Market.
• Low average trading volume of 3.41K shares.
• Suspension of required SEC periodic filings (10-Q, 10-K).
• Allowance for Credit Losses ratio trending upward to 1.40%.
• Focus on reducing compliance and accounting expenses.

You need to assess if the capital tied up in maintaining the current operational structure, including the physical footprint, can generate a return greater than the cost of capital elsewhere. Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) - BCG Matrix: Question Marks

You're looking at the areas of 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. (BCOW) that are in high-growth markets but haven't captured significant market share yet. These are the units that suck up cash now, hoping to become Stars later. Honestly, they're a gamble, but one the management team is clearly evaluating right now.

The most significant strategic move defining this quadrant is the one announced in February 2025. 1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin, Inc. engaged Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. (KBW) as a financial advisor to explore strategic alternatives. This review could involve considering a business combination or a sale of control. The company notified Nasdaq of its intent to voluntarily delist its common stock, with the last trading day expected to be March 7, 2025, before moving to the OTCQX Market on March 10, 2025. Following this, the company intends to file a Form 15 with the SEC on March 17, 2025, which will suspend its obligation to file periodic reports like Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K. The President and CEO, David Ball, stated this was part of a comprehensive effort to enhance stockholder value.

These Question Marks require heavy investment to gain traction, or they risk becoming Dogs. The current valuation metrics definitely suggest a challenging landscape that necessitates this strategic pivot.

Here's a quick look at the current valuation context, which helps frame the need for rapid growth or divestiture in these segments:

The specific 2025 data for the asset classes mentioned in the scenario-like the 129.73% year-over-year growth in money market investments to $5.91 million in Q3 2025, or the total loan portfolio size of $444.14 million-are not available in the latest public disclosures, but we can discuss the segments based on their nature as Question Marks.

Regarding the asset composition, you can see how these areas fit the profile:

• The prompt suggests money market investments saw massive growth, yet remain a small, volatile asset class, fitting the high-growth/low-share profile.
• The commercial loan portfolio, which includes commercial real estate lending, is inherently a high-risk, high-return segment that demands significant capital to build market share against established competitors.
• Consumer loans, while often offering higher yields, carry elevated credit risk and represent a smaller component of the overall lending activity.

The pressure is on management to decide which of these growing areas merits the heavy investment needed to shift them out of the Question Mark quadrant. If they don't gain share quickly, these units will consume cash without ever turning into Stars. If onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk rises, which is analogous to failing to capture market share in these investment areas.