Brean Capital analyst Blair Brantley believes Union Bankshares is well positioned to outperform given its statewide franchise in Virginia, select organic opportunities in North Carolina and Maryland, "attractive" core funding base, "top-graded" talent and flexibility for additional fill-in deals. Further, the analyst says he can't overlook the improved transparency as the company's results have matched the message led by CEO Asbury. Brantley calls Union Bankshares a top pick for 2019 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares despite trimming his price target to $40 from $42.