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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington , D.C. 20549 FORM 10 - K > ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 ( d ) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31 , 2020 TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 ( d ) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period from ............ to ....... … ... Commission file number 001-37700 NICOLET BANKSHARES , INC . ( Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter ) Wisconsin ( State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization ) 47-0871001 ( I.R.S. Employer Identification No. ) 111 North Washington Street Green Bay , Wisconsin 54301 ( 920 ) 430-1400 ( Address , including zip code , and telephone number , including area code , of Registrant's principal executive offices ) SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 ( b ) OF THE ACT : Title of each class Trading Symbol NCBS Common Stock , par value $ 0.01 per share SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 ( g ) OF THE ACT : None Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well - known seasoned issuer , as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act . Yes No Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15 ( d ) of the Act . Yes No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant ( 1 ) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 ( d ) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months ( or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports ) , and ( 2 ) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days . Yes > No Name of each exchange on which registered The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S - T ( §232.405 of this chapter ) during the preceding12 months ( or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files ) . Yes > No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer , an accelerated filer , a non - accelerated filer , a smaller reporting company , or an emerging growth company . See the definitions of " large accelerated filer , ” “ accelerated filer , " " smaller reporting company , " , " and " emerging growth company " in Rule 12b - 2 of the Exchange Act . Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer X Non - accelerated filer Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company If an emerging growth company , indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13 ( a ) of the Exchange Act . Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 ( b ) of the Sarbanes - Oxley Act ( 15 U.S.C. 7262 ( b ) ) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report . Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company ( as defined in Rule 12b - 2 of the Exchange Act ) . Yes No X As of June 30 , 2020 , ( the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter ) the aggregate market value of the common stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant was approximately $ 509 million based on the closing sale price of $ 54.80 per share as reported on Nasdaq on June 30 , 2020 . As of February 24 , 2021 9,979,672 shares of common stock were outstanding . DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Part III of Form 10 - K – Portions of the Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders .