Shore Bancshares, Inc. SHBI recently announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement withSevern Bancorp, Inc. The stock and cash deal worth $146 million, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, subject to necessary approvals.The purchase price includes common stock and stock options, and has been based on the closing price for Shore's common stock of $15.64 as of Mar 2, 2021 and $1.59 per share in cash.Post completion, Shore's total assets will increase to nearly $2.9 billion on a pro forma basis as of Dec 31, 2020. Also, the acquisition will mark Shore’s entry into Anne Arundel County, MD.Per the agreement, shareholders of Severn will receive 0.6207 shares of Shore common stock and $1.59 in cash for each share of Severn common stock they own. Thus, existing Shore shareholders will own 59.6% of the combined company.Four directors from Severn will continue to work in the combined company, including Alan Hyatt. Lloyd L. “Scott” Beatty will remain the chief executive officer and Hyatt will serve as chairman of the board of directors.Shore expects the transaction to be more than 30% accretive to earnings per share in 2022, based on anticipated cost savings of about 35%.Beatty, president and chief executive officer of Shore, said, "The addition of Severn to our organization is very exciting. We will now have a presence in Anne Arundel County which is a wonderful market and fills in a gap in our footprint. The merger also brings new products and talent to our organization."Shares of Shore have gained 48.2% over the past six months compared with the industry’s rally of 58.5%.Currently, the company sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Similar Moves by PeersLast month, M&T Bank Corporation MTB agreed to acquire People’s United Financial Inc. PBCT in an all-stock merger deal worth $7.6 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.Also, in December 2020, Huntington Bancshares HBAN entered into an all-stock acquisition deal with Detroit-based TCF Financial, per which both the companies will merge for a total market value of about $22 billion.Time to Invest in Legal MarijuanaIf you’re looking for big gains, there couldn’t be a better time to get in on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $17.7 billion back in 2019 to an expected $73.6 billion by 2027.After a clean sweep of 6 election referendums in 5 states, pot is now legal in 36 states plus D.C. Federal legalization is expected soon and that could be a still greater bonanza for investors. Even before the latest wave of legalization, Zacks Investment Research has recommended pot stocks that have shot up as high as +285.9%You’re invited to check out Zacks’ Marijuana Moneymakers: An Investor’s Guide. It features a timely Watch List of pot stocks and ETFs with exceptional growth potential.Today, Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report M&T Bank Corporation (MTB): Get Free Report Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (HBAN): Get Free Report Peoples United Financial, Inc. (PBCT): Free Stock Analysis Report Shore Bancshares Inc (SHBI): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.