Waterstone Financial, Inc. Announces Results of Operations for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2018


WAUWATOSA, Wis., Jan. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: WSBF), holding company for WaterStone Bank, reported net income of $5.7 million, or $0.21 per diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to $3.1 million, or $0.11 per diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2017. Net income per diluted share was $1.11 for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to net income per diluted share of $0.93 for the year ended December 31, 2017. The results of operations for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2017 each include a $2.7 million charge to income tax expense related to the Company's deferred tax asset revaluation that resulted from 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 are pleased with the performance of our Community Banking segment as we achieved our 12th consecutive comparative quarter with growth in pre-tax income,” said Douglas Gordon, CEO of Waterstone Financial, Inc. “We have exhibited the ability to grow this segment while maintaining our culture for asset quality and expense management. As a result of our profitability and financial strength, we were able to deploy capital by rewarding our shareholders with $0.98 per share in dividends, while also repurchasing 1.1 million shares of stock during the year. Our Mortgage Banking segment’s performance has declined due to a challenging housing market causing margin compression, and the expenses related to closing unprofitable branches and rightsizing staff.”

Highlights of the Quarter Ended December 31, 2018

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (Consolidated)

  • Consolidated net income of Waterstone Financial, Inc. totaled $5.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, compared to $5.8 million(1) for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation ($3.1 million on a GAAP basis).
  • Consolidated net income of Waterstone Financial, Inc. totaled $30.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, compared to $28.7 million(1) for the year ended December 31, 2017 adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation ($26.0 million on a GAAP basis).
  • Consolidated return on average assets totaled 1.18% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to 1.26%(1) for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation (0.67% on a GAAP basis).
  • Consolidated return on average assets totaled 1.64% for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to 1.58%(1) for the year ended December 31, 2017 adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation (1.43% on a GAAP basis).
  • Consolidated return on average equity totaled 5.58% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 and 5.58%(1) for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation (2.98% on a GAAP basis).
  • Consolidated return on average equity totaled 7.60% for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to 6.98%(1) for the year ended December 31, 2017 adjusted for the deferred tax revaluation (6.32% on a GAAP basis).
  • Dividends declared totaled $0.12 per share during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 amounting to a total of $0.98 in dividends declared per share during the year ended December 31, 2018.
  • Repurchased a total 587,700 shares on the open market during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 at an average price of $16.59 per share. For the year ended, repurchased a total of 1.1 million shares at an average price of $16.81.

(1) For notes on non-GAAP financial measures, see pages 4 and 11

Community Banking Segment

  • Pre-tax income of the segment totaled $7.5 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to $7.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017.
  • Net interest income of the segment totaled $13.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to $13.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017.
  • Average loans held for investment totaled $1.37 billion during the quarter ended December 31, 2018, which represents an increase of $93.0 million, or 7.3% over the comparable quarter in the prior year. Average loans increased $23.2 million, or 6.9% annualized, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2018.
  • Our net interest margin decreased nine bps to 2.99% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to 3.08% for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, which was a result of the increase in cost of deposits as certificates of deposit repriced at higher rates.
  • Noninterest income decreased $63,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2017 as fees earned on loans decreased.
  • Noninterest expenses increased $211,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2017 as compensation; occupancy, office furniture, and equipment; and other noninterest expenses increased.
  • The efficiency ratio for the community banking segment increased 33 bps to 48.69% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, compared to 48.36% for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 as compensation expenses rose slightly.
  • Average deposits totaled $1.02 billion during the quarter ended December 31, 2018, which represents an increase of $61.8 million, or 6.5%, over the comparable quarter in the prior year.  Average deposits increased $13.5 million, or 5.4% annualized, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2018.
  • Nonperforming assets as percentage of total assets was 0.45% at December 31, 2018, 0.45% at September 30, 2018, and 0.59% at December 31, 2017.
  • Past due loans as percentage of total loans was 0.50% at December 31, 2018, 0.67% at September 30, 2018, and 0.45% at December 31, 2017.
  • Net recoveries were $232,000, or 0.02% as a percentage of average loans for the year ending December 31, 2018.  Net charge-offs were $786,000, or 0.06% of average loans for the year ending December 31, 2017.

Mortgage Banking Segment

  • The Mortgage Banking segment totaled a pretax loss of $308,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, compared to $1.8 million of pretax income for the quarter ended December 31, 2017.
  • Loan originations decreased approximately $109,000 to $600.2 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2018, compared to $600.3 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2017.  Origination volume relative to purchase activity accounted for 91.1% of originations for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 compared to 86.7% of total originations for the quarter ended December 31, 2017.
  • Mortgage banking revenues decreased $2.7 million, or 9.6%, to $25.0 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, compared to $27.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017.
  • Gross margin on loans sold decreased 11.4% to 4.2% during the quarter ended December 31, 2018, compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2017.

About Waterstone Financial, Inc.

Waterstone Financial, Inc. 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 has the ability to lend in 47 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 deferred tax revaluation, 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,
  2018201720182017
  (In Thousands, except per share amounts)
Interest income:     
Loans$ 17,468 15,746 66,966 60,824
Mortgage-related securities  723 625 2,648 2,646
Debt securities, federal funds sold and short-term investments  1,137 945 4,086 3,625
Total interest income  19,328 17,316 73,700 67,095
Interest expense:     
Deposits  3,540 2,125 11,627 7,739
Borrowings  2,322 1,867 7,896 8,623
Total interest expense  5,862 3,992 19,523 16,362
Net interest income  13,466 13,324 54,177 50,733
Provision for loan losses  - - (1,060) (1,166)
Net interest income after provision for loan losses  13,466 13,324 55,237 51,899
Noninterest income:     
Service charges on loans and deposits  348 477 1,680 1,625
Increase in cash surrender value of life insurance  352 331 1,848 1,807
Loss on sale of available for sale securities  - - - (107)
Mortgage banking income  24,221 27,270 113,151 120,044
Other  715 103 1,520 1,044
Total noninterest income  25,636 28,181 118,199 124,413
Noninterest expenses:     
Compensation, payroll taxes, and other employee benefits  23,114 23,352 97,784 97,084
Occupancy, office furniture, and equipment  2,860 2,591 10,855 10,178
Advertising  1,039 919 4,123 3,333
Data processing  735 585 2,792 2,439
Communications  382 390 1,611 1,560
Professional fees  397 703 2,327 2,656
Real estate owned  (62) 121 1 379
Loan processing expense  643 766 3,372 3,062
Other  2,738 2,891 10,291 11,188
Total noninterest expenses  31,846 32,318 133,156 131,879
Income before income taxes  7,256 9,187 40,280 44,433
Income tax expense  1,578 6,072 9,526 18,469
Net income$ 5,678 3,115 30,754 25,964
Income per share:     
Basic$0.210.111.120.95
Diluted$0.210.111.110.93
Weighted average shares outstanding:     
Basic 26,99427,52227,36327,467
Diluted 27,21827,91427,63427,899
      

 

WATERSTONE FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
 December 31,December 31,
 20182017
 (Unaudited) 
Assets(In Thousands, except per share amounts)
Cash$ 48,234$ 22,306
Federal funds sold 25,100 17,034
Interest-earning deposits in other financial institutions and other short term investments 12,767 9,267
Cash and cash equivalents 86,101 48,607
Securities available for sale (at fair value) 185,720 199,707
Loans held for sale (at fair value) 141,616 149,896
Loans receivable 1,379,148 1,291,814
Less: Allowance for loan losses 13,249 14,077
Loans receivable, net 1,365,899 1,277,737
   
Office properties and equipment, net 24,524 22,941
Federal Home Loan Bank stock (at cost) 19,350 16,875
Cash surrender value of life insurance 67,550 65,996
Real estate owned, net 2,152 4,558
Prepaid expenses and other assets 22,469 20,084
Total assets$ 1,915,381$ 1,806,401
   
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity  
Liabilities:  
Demand deposits$ 139,111$ 129,597
Money market and savings deposits 163,511 148,804
Time deposits 735,873 688,979
Total deposits 1,038,495 967,380
   
Borrowings 435,046 386,285
Advance payments by borrowers for taxes 4,371 4,876
Other liabilities 37,790 35,756
Total liabilities 1,515,702 1,394,297
   
Shareholders' equity:  
Common stock 285 295
Additional paid-in capital 330,327 326,655
Retained earnings 187,153 183,358
Unearned ESOP shares (17,804) (18,991)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes (2,361) (477)
Cost of shares repurchased (97,921) (78,736)
Total shareholders' equity 399,679 412,104
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$ 1,915,381$ 1,806,401
   
Share Information   
Shares Outstanding 28,463 29,501
Book Value per share$ 14.04$ 13.97
Closing market price$ 16.76$ 17.05
Price to book ratio119.37%122.05%
   
   


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,
 20182018201820182017
 (Dollars in Thousands)
Condensed Results of Operations:     
Net interest income$ 13,466 13,850 13,720 13,141 13,324
Provision for loan losses -  40 (220) (880) - 
Total noninterest income 25,636 34,062 33,318 25,183 28,181
Total noninterest expense 31,846 36,426 34,737 30,147 32,318
Income before income taxes 7,256 11,446 12,521 9,057 9,187
Income tax expense 1,578 2,743 3,101 2,104 6,072
Net income$ 5,678 8,703 9,420 6,953 3,115
Income per share – basic$ 0.21 0.32 0.34 0.25 0.11
Income per share – diluted$ 0.21 0.31 0.34 0.25 0.11
Dividends declared per share$ 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.62 0.12
      
Performance Ratios:     
Return on average assets - QTD1.18%1.80%2.02%1.57%0.67%
Return on average equity - QTD5.58%8.48%9.40%6.90%2.98%
Net interest margin - QTD2.99%3.07%3.14%3.18%3.08%
      
Return on average assets - YTD1.64%1.80%1.80%1.57%1.43%
Return on average equity - YTD7.60%8.25%8.13%6.90%6.32%
Net interest margin - YTD3.09%3.13%3.16%3.18%3.00%
      
Asset Quality Ratios:     
Past due loans to total loans0.50%0.67%0.54%0.53%0.45%
Non accrual loans to total loans0.48%0.48%0.46%0.50%0.47%
Non performing assets to total assets0.45%0.45%0.45%0.54%0.59%


WATERSTONE FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SUMMARY OF QUARTERLY AVERAGE BALANCES AND YIELD/COSTS
(Unaudited)
      
 At or For the Three Months Ended
 December 31,September 30,June 30,March 31,December 31,
 20182018201820182017
Average balances(Dollars in Thousands)
Interest earning assets     
Loans receivable and held for sale 1,496,125 1,507,632 1,451,507 1,398,043 1,402,271
Mortgage related securities 111,004 106,047 109,879 113,688 115,414
Debt securities, federal funds sold and short term investments 179,232 176,733 192,422 165,863 199,006
  Total interest earning assets 1,786,361 1,790,412 1,753,808 1,677,594 1,716,691
Non interest earning assets 119,715 122,575 119,291 113,317 120,943
  Total assets 1,906,076 1,912,987 1,873,099 1,790,911 1,837,634
      
Interest bearing liabilities     
Demand accounts 36,941 37,936 37,291 37,384 37,600
Money market and savings accounts 184,873 185,864 166,587 153,226 170,262
Certificates of deposit 722,774 707,970 707,758 697,644 686,266
  Total interest-bearing deposits 944,588 931,770 911,636 888,254 894,128
Borrowings 439,601 444,570 445,064 379,115 406,821
  Total interest-bearing liabilities 1,384,189 1,376,340 1,356,700 1,267,369 1,300,949
Noninterest bearing demand deposits 97,677 100,804 96,108 91,806 93,735
Noninterest bearing liabilities 20,219 28,632 18,266 22,828 28,188
  Total liabilities 1,502,085 1,505,776 1,471,074 1,382,003 1,422,872
Equity 403,991 407,211 402,025 408,908 414,762
  Total liabilities and equity 1,906,076 1,912,987 1,873,099 1,790,911 1,837,634
      
Average Yield/Costs     
Loans receivable and held for sale4.63%4.56%4.61%4.48%4.45%
Mortgage related securities2.58%2.41%2.35%2.28%2.15%
Debt securities, federal funds sold and short term investments2.52%2.39%2.12%2.12%1.88%
  Total interest earning assets4.29%4.22%4.20%4.10%4.00%
      
Demand accounts0.09%0.10%0.09%0.08%0.08%
Money market and savings accounts0.47%0.35%0.30%0.24%0.20%
Certificates of deposit1.82%1.62%1.46%1.29%1.17%
  Total interest-bearing deposits1.49%1.30%1.19%1.06%0.94%
Borrowings2.10%1.90%1.74%1.61%1.82%
  Total interest-bearing liabilities1.68%1.50%1.37%1.22%1.22%
      


 
COMMUNITY BANKING SEGMENT
SUMMARY OF KEY QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA
(Unaudited)
 
 At or For the Three Months Ended
 December 31,September 30,June 30,March 31,December 31,
 20182018201820182017
 (Dollars in Thousands)
Condensed Results of Operations:     
Net interest income$ 13,774 14,121 13,747 13,304 13,375
Provision for loan losses -  -  (250) (900) - 
Total noninterest income 911 1,312 1,137 939 974
Noninterest expenses:     
Compensation, payroll taxes, and other employee benefits 4,761 4,435 4,301 4,888 4,531
Occupancy, office furniture and equipment 842 826 813 826 771
Advertising 185 183 241 140 144
Data processing 422 414 400 435 399
Communications 92 112 121 100 101
Professional fees 339 257 180 191 173
Real estate owned (62) (128) (126) 317 121
Loan processing expense -  -  -  -  - 
Other 571 701 658 785 699
Total noninterest expense 7,150 6,800 6,588 7,682 6,939
Income before income taxes 7,535 8,633 8,546 7,461 7,410
Income tax expense 1,632 2,003 1,970 1,668 5,570
Net income$ 5,903 6,630 6,576 5,793 1,840
      
Efficiency ratio - QTD48.69%44.06%44.27%53.94%48.36%
Efficiency ratio - YTD47.63%47.28%49.00%53.94%49.98%
      


MORTGAGE BANKING SEGMENT
SUMMARY OF KEY QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA
(Unaudited)
      
 At or For the Three Months Ended
 December 31,September 30,June 30,March 31,December 31,
 20182018201820182017
 (Dollars in Thousands)
Condensed Results of Operations:     
Net interest income$ (332) (286) (40) (192) (72)
Provision for loan losses -  40 30 20 - 
Total noninterest income 24,986 33,165 32,547 24,731 27,645
Noninterest expenses:     
Compensation, payroll taxes, and other employee benefits 18,499 23,164 22,078 16,241 18,943
Occupancy, office furniture and equipment 2,018 1,925 1,792 1,813 1,820
Advertising 854 1,041 759 720 775
Data processing 309 386 224 186 182
Communications 290 300 314 282 289
Professional fees 52 319 458 514 512
Real estate owned -  -  -  -  - 
Loan processing expense 643 837 904 988 766
Other 2,297 2,064 1,964 2,197 2,504
Total noninterest expense 24,962 30,036 28,493 22,941 25,791
Income before income taxes (308) 2,803 3,984 1,578 1,782
Income tax expense (62) 737 1,133 435 509
Net income$ (246) 2,066 2,851 1,143 1,273
       
Efficiency ratio - QTD 101.25%91.35%87.65%93.49%93.54%
Efficiency ratio - YTD 92.89%90.60%90.16%93.49%86.93%
       
Loan Originations  600,156761,206721,184516,020600,265
Purchase 91.1%92.1%92.6%85.1%86.7%
Refiance 8.9%7.9%7.4%14.9%13.3%


GAAP RECONCILIATION TO NON-GAAP
FINANCIAL MEASURES
(Unaudited)
 For the Three Months EndedFor the Year Ended
 December 31,December 31,
 20172017
 (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 assets0.67%1.43%
Deferred tax asset revaluation adjustment0.59%0.15%
Return on average assets excluding deferred tax asset revaluation1.26%1.58%
   
Net income excluding deferred tax asset revaluation$ 5,833$ 28,682
Average equity 414,762 410,937
   
Return on average equity2.98%6.32%
Deferred tax asset revaluation adjustment2.60%0.66%
Return on average equity excluding deferred tax asset revaluation5.58%6.98%
   

Contact: Mark R. Gerke
Chief Financial Officer
414.459.4012
markgerke@wsbonline.com