** Shares of regional lender Brookline Bancorp BRKL.O rise as much as 3.6%; last up 2.2% at $12.79

** KBW upgrades BRKL to "outperform" from "market perform"; raises PT to $14.50 from $12, a 15.9% upside to stock's last close

** Brokerage says BRKL has traded at a steep discount to its peers throughout 2024

** Adds that there is significant opportunity for the valuation gap to narrow as BRKL's profitability returns toward peer levels and credit concerns ease

** Risk/reward opportunity highly attractive at current discounted levels — KBW

** Three of four brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher and one "hold"; median PT is $14.50 — LSEG

** As of last close, BRKL shares up 14.7% YTD

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru)

((ArasuKannagi.Basil@thomsonreuters.com))