WAUWATOSA, Wis., Jan. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF), holding company for WaterStone Bank, reported net income of $3.1 million, or $0.11 per diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 compared to $6.4 million, or $0.23 per diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.  Net income for the year ended December 31, 2017 totaled $26.0 million, or $0.93 per diluted share compared to $25.5 million, or $0.93 per diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2016.  The fourth quarter and year to date 2017 results of operations each include a $2.7 million charge to income tax expense related to the Company’s deferred tax asset revaluation that resulted from recent legislation that reduced the corporate federal income tax rate.  Excluding the impact of this revaluation, net income per diluted share(1) for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2017 were $0.21 and $1.03, respectively.  

“We achieved record pre-tax earnings in 2017 fueled by a 36% increase in the pre-tax earnings of our Community Banking segment,” said Douglas Gordon, CEO of Waterstone Financial, Inc. “Annual loan growth of 9.7%, combined with a 13.6% increase in our net interest margin drove the record profits.  Our Mortgage Banking segment, coming off record earnings in 2016, faced margin compression during 2017 as the lack of refinance business increased price competition within the industry.  Mortgage Banking segment earnings were also hampered by the expense associated with 11 new branches opened since the fourth quarter of 2016.  The strength of our consolidated earnings, and capital, gave us the ability to pay dividends totaling $0.98 per share to our shareholders during 2017”.     

Highlights of the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2017

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (Consolidated)

  • Consolidated pre-tax income of Waterstone Financial, Inc. totaled $9.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, compared to $10.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.
  • Consolidated pre-tax income of Waterstone Financial, Inc. totaled $44.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to $42.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.
  • Consolidated return on average assets totaled 0.67% for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 compared to 1.44% for the quarter ended December 31, 2016. Adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation, consolidated return on average assets(1) totaled 1.26% for the quarter ended December 31, 2017.  
  • Consolidated return on average assets totaled 1.43% for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to 1.45% for the year ended December 31, 2016. Adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation, consolidated return on average assets(1) totaled 1.58% for the year ended December 31, 2017.  
  • Dividends declared and paid totaled $0.98 per share during the year ended December 31, 2017.

(1)      For notes on non-GAAP financial measures, see pages 3 and 7 

Community Banking Segment

  • Pre-tax income of the segment totaled $7.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, which represents a 16.3% increase compared to $6.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.
  • Pre-tax income of the segment totaled $28.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, which represents a 36.1% increase compared to $21.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.
  • Net interest income of the segment totaled $13.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, which represents an 11.8% increase compared to $12.0 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.  The increase in net interest income, which was driven by loan growth along with a decrease in borrowing costs, drove our net interest margin to 3.08% for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 compared to 2.88% for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.  
  • Average loans held for investment totaled $1.27 billion during the quarter ended December 31, 2017, which represents an increase of $111.6 million, or 9.6% over the comparable quarter in the prior year. 
  • Total loans held for investment increased $30.7 million, or 2.4%, to $1.29 billion at December 31, 2017 compared to $1.26 billion at September 30, 2017. 
  • Total deposits increased $10.6 million, or 1.1%, to $967.4 million at December 31, 2017 compared to $956.8 million at September 30, 2017. 
  • Driven by margin expansion and continued cost control efforts, the efficiency ratio for the segment improved to 48.4% for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, compared to 51.0% for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.
  • Nonperforming assets as percentage of total assets decreased to 0.59% as of December 31, 2017, compared to 0.62% at September 30, 2017 and 0.89% at December 31, 2016.

Mortgage Banking Segment

  • Pre-tax income of the segment totaled $1.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, which represents a 58.1% decrease compared to $4.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.
  • Pre-tax income of the segment totaled $15.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, which represents a 24.2% decrease compared to $20.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.
  • Loans originated for the purpose of sale in the secondary market decreased $45.5 million, or 7.3%, to $577.0 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2017, compared to $622.5 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.  The decrease in originations was driven by a 45.6% decrease in the origination of loans made for the purpose of mortgage refinance.  Driven by an expansion of our branch network, origination volumes of loans made for the purpose of residential purchases increased 6.3% compared to the comparative quarter in the prior year.  Our origination efforts continue to be focused on loans made for the purpose of residential purchases, as opposed to mortgage refinance.  Origination volume relative to purchase activity accounted for 87% of originations for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 compared to 77% of total originations for the quarter ended December 31, 2016. Origination volume relative to purchase activity accounted for 89% and 83% of total originations for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
  • Year to date origination volume increased approximately 5% to $2.5 billion during 2017.    
  • Gross margins on loans sold decreased approximately 3% during the quarter ended December 31, 2017, compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2016. 

About Waterstone Financial, Inc.

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSBF) is the savings and loan holding company for WaterStone Bank. WaterStone Bank was established in 1921 and offers a full suite of personal and business banking products. The Bank has branches in Wauwatosa, Brookfield, Fox Point/North Shore, Franklin/Hales Corners, Germantown/Menomonee Falls, Greenfield, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc/Lake Country, Pewaukee, Waukesha/Brookfield, and West Allis, Wisconsin and a commercial lending office in Minneapolis, Minnesota. WaterStone Bank is the parent company to Waterstone Mortgage, which offers mortgage banking offices in 24 states. For more information about WaterStone Bank, go to http://www.wsbonline.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding expected financial and operating activities and results that are preceded by, followed by, or that include words such as “may,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates” or “believes.”  Such statements are subject to important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements.  These factors include (i) exposure to the deterioration in the commercial and residential real estate markets which could result in increased charge-offs and increases in the allowance for loan losses,  (ii) various other factors, including changes in economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding outstanding loans and identification of additional problem loans, which could require an increase in the allowance for loan losses, (iii) Waterstone’s ability to maintain required levels of capital and other current and future regulatory requirements, (iv) the impact of recent and future legislative initiatives on the financial markets, and (v) those factors referenced in Item 1A. Risk Factors in Waterstone’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and as may be described from time to time in Waterstone’s subsequent SEC filings, which factors are incorporated herein by reference.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect only Waterstone’s belief as of the date of this press release.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The Company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures, including earnings per share excluding deferred tax revaluation, return on average assets excluding deferred tax revaluation, return on average assets excluding non-fundamental items, and return on average equity excluding deferred tax revaluation to provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance. These measures typically adjust GAAP performance measures to adjust for non-recurring transactions. Since the presentation of these GAAP performance measures and their impact differ between companies, management believes presentations of these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful supplemental information that is essential to a proper understanding of the operating results of the Company’s core business. These non-GAAP disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.  Where non-GAAP financial measures are used, the comparable GAAP financial measure, as well as the reconciliation to the comparable GAAP financial measure, can be found in the tables of this release.

 
WATERSTONE FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Unaudited)
 
    For The Three Months Ended
December 31,
For The Year Ended
December 31,
    2017   2016   2017   2016  
    (In Thousands, except per share amounts)
Interest income:                
Loans $   15,746     14,574     60,824     57,185  
Mortgage-related securities     625     677     2,646     3,048  
Debt securities, federal funds sold and short-term investments     945     811     3,625     3,503  
Total interest income     17,316     16,062     67,095     63,736  
Interest expense:                
Deposits     2,125     1,887     7,739     7,364  
Borrowings     1,867     2,204     8,623     12,928  
Total interest expense     3,992     4,091     16,362     20,292  
Net interest income     13,324     11,971     50,733     43,444  
Provision for loan losses     –     40     (1,166 )   380  
                   
Net interest income after provision for loan losses     13,324     11,931     51,899     43,064  
                   
Noninterest income:                
Service charges on loans and deposits     477     490     1,625     2,232  
Increase in cash surrender value of life insurance     331     321     1,807     1,767  
Loss on sale of available for sale securities     –     –     (107 )   –  
Mortgage banking income     27,270     29,923     120,044     121,069  
Other     103     423     1,044     1,297  
Total noninterest income     28,181     31,157     124,413     126,365  
Noninterest expenses:                
Compensation, payroll taxes, and other employee benefits     23,352     24,088     97,084     95,056  
Occupancy, office furniture, and equipment     2,591     2,273     10,178     9,347  
Advertising     919     769     3,333     2,743  
Data processing     585     623     2,439     2,520  
Communications     390     374     1,560     1,462  
Professional fees     703     649     2,656     2,135  
Real estate owned     121     55     379     399  
FDIC insurance premiums     133     115     499     615  
Other     3,524     3,495     13,751     13,158  
Total noninterest expenses     32,318     32,441     131,879     127,435  
Income before income taxes     9,187     10,647     44,433     41,994  
Income tax expense      6,072     4,248     18,469     16,462  
Net income  $   3,115     6,399     25,964     25,532  
Income per share:                
Basic $ 0.11   0.23   0.95   0.94  
Diluted $ 0.11   0.23   0.93   0.93  
Weighted average shares outstanding:                
Basic   27,522   27,217   27,467   27,037  
Diluted   27,914   27,699   27,899   27,374  
                 

 

 
WATERSTONE FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
 
   December 31,   December 31, 
    2017     2016  
  (Unaudited)  
Assets (In Thousands, except per share amounts)
Cash $   22,306   $   7,878  
Federal funds sold     17,034       26,828  
Interest-earning deposits in other financial institutions and other short term investments     9,267       12,511  
Cash and cash equivalents     48,607       47,217  
Securities available for sale (at fair value)     199,707       226,795  
Loans held for sale (at fair value)     149,896       225,248  
Loans receivable     1,291,814       1,177,884  
Less: Allowance for loan losses     14,077       16,029  
Loans receivable, net     1,277,737       1,161,855  
     
Office properties and equipment, net     22,941       23,655  
Federal Home Loan Bank stock (at cost)     16,875       13,275  
Cash surrender value of life insurance     65,996       61,509  
Real estate owned, net     4,558       6,118  
Prepaid expenses and other assets     20,084       24,947  
Total assets $   1,806,401   $   1,790,619  
     
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity    
Liabilities:    
Demand deposits $   129,597   $   120,371  
Money market and savings deposits     148,804       162,456  
Time deposits     688,979       666,584  
Total deposits     967,380       949,411  
     
Borrowings     386,285       387,155  
Advance payments by borrowers for taxes     4,876       4,716  
Other liabilities     35,756       38,647  
Total liabilities     1,394,297       1,379,929  
     
Shareholders’ equity:    
Common stock     295       294  
Additional paid-in capital     326,655       322,934  
Retained earnings     183,358       184,565  
Unearned ESOP shares     (18,991 )     (20,178 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes     (477 )     (378 )
Cost of shares repurchased     (78,736 )     (76,547 )
Total shareholders’ equity     412,104       410,690  
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $   1,806,401   $   1,790,619  
     
Share Information     
Shares Outstanding     29,501       29,430  
Book Value per share $   13.97   $   13.95  
Closing market price $   17.05   $   18.40  
Price to book ratio   122.05 %   131.85 %
     

 

 
WATERSTONE FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SUMMARY OF KEY QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA
(Unaudited)
           
  At or For the Three Months Ended
  December 31, September 30, June 30, March 31, December 31,
    2017   2017  2017  2017  2016 
  (Dollars in Thousands)
Condensed Results of Operations:          
Net interest income $  13,324    13,033    12,481    11,895    11,971  
Provision for loan losses    –     20    25    (1,211 )  40  
Total noninterest income    28,181    33,054    37,241    25,937    31,157  
Total noninterest expense    32,318    34,316    36,187    29,058    32,441  
Income before income taxes    9,187    11,751    13,510    9,985    10,647  
Income tax expense    6,072    4,362    4,622    3,413    4,248  
Net income $  3,115    7,389    8,888    6,572    6,399  
Income per share – basic $  0.11    0.27    0.32    0.24    0.23  
Income per share – diluted  $  0.11    0.26    0.32    0.24    0.23  
Dividends declared per share $  0.12    0.12    0.62    0.12    0.12  
           
Performance Ratios:          
Return on average assets – QTD   0.67 % 1.56 % 1.99 % 1.54 % 1.44 %
Return on average equity – QTD   2.98 % 7.12 % 8.70 % 6.44 % 6.19 %
Net interest margin – QTD   3.08 % 2.95 % 3.00 % 2.97 % 2.88 %
Community Banking Segment          
    Efficiency ratio – QTD   48.36 % 47.78 % 48.76 % 55.69 % 51.00 %
           
Return on average assets – YTD   1.43 % 1.70 % 1.77 % 1.54 % 1.45 %
Return on average equity – YTD   6.32 % 7.42 % 7.56 % 6.44 % 6.33 %
Net interest margin – YTD   3.00 % 2.97 % 2.98 % 2.97 % 2.64 %
Community Banking Segment          
    Efficiency ratio – YTD   49.98 % 50.56 % 52.09 % 55.69 % 55.40 %
           
Asset Quality Ratios:          
Past due loans to total loans   0.45 % 0.71 % 0.74 % 0.71 % 0.70 %
Non accrual loans to total loans   0.47 % 0.56 % 0.70 % 0.67 % 0.84 %
Non performing assets to total assets   0.59 % 0.62 % 0.71 % 0.76 % 0.89 %
           

 

 
GAAP RECONCILIATION TO NON-GAAP 
FINANCIAL MEASURES
(Unaudited)
 
  For the Three Months Ended For the Year Ended
  December 31, December 31,
    2017     2017  
  (In thousands, except per share amounts)
Net income $  3,115      25,964  
Deferred tax asset revaluation    2,718      2,718  
Net income excluding deferred tax asset revaluation $  5,833   $  28,682  
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding    27,914      27,899  
     
Net income per diluted share  $  0.11   $  0.93  
Deferred tax asset revaluation adjustment $  0.10   $  0.10  
Net income per diluted share excluding deferred tax asset revaluation $  0.21   $  1.03  
     
Net income excluding deferred tax asset revaluation $   5,833   $   28,682  
Average assets    1,837,634      1,810,234  
     
Return on average assets   0.67 %   1.43 %
Deferred tax asset revaluation adjustment   0.59 %   0.15 %
Return on average assets excluding deferred tax asset revaluation   1.26 %   1.58 %
     
Net income excluding deferred tax asset revaluation $   5,833   $   28,682  
Average equity    414,762      410,937  
     
Return on average equity   2.98 %   6.32 %
Deferred tax asset revaluation adjustment   2.60 %   0.66 %
Return on average equity excluding deferred tax asset revaluation   5.58 %   6.98 %
     

 

Contact: Mark R. Gerke
Chief Financial Officer
414.459.4012
[email protected]