ES Bancshares, Inc. Reports $0.13 EPS for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2022 and EPS of $0.79 for the Year Ended 2022; Improves Tangible Book Value to $6.47; Maintains Strong Asset Quality


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., Jan. 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ES Bancshares, Inc. (OTCQX: ESBS) (the “Company”) the holding company for Empire State Bank, (the “Bank”) today announced net income of $843 thousand, or $0.13 per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2022.  

Key Financial Data
4Q22 Highlights
Profitability Metrics4Q22
3Q22
4Q21
• Net Revenues of $4.8 million including $4.4 million of net interest income and $357 thousand of non-interest income

• Net Income of $843 thousand and earnings per common share of $0.13

• Average loans increased 8.5% quarter-over-quarter with average total deposits increasing by 2.9% since prior quarter.

• During the quarter ended December 31, 2022, Empire State Bank recorded a provision for loan losses of $100 thousand compared to prior quarter which no provision or benefit was recorded. The increase was driven by the increase in total loans period over period.

• Total assets grew to $588 million the largest since inception of the Company in 2006.
Return on average assets (%) 0.60% 0.65% 1.05%
Return on average common equity (%) 7.71% 8.12% 13.85%
Return on tangible common equity (%) 7.82% 8.23% 14.06%
Net interest margin (%) 3.26% 3.27% 3.83%
          
Income Statement (a)4Q22
3Q22
4Q21
Net interest income$4,404 $4,242 $5,259 
Non-interest income$357 $266 $409 
Net income$843 $872 $1,340 
Earnings per share- Basic$0.13 $0.13 $0.20 
Earnings per share- Diluted$0.12 $0.13 $0.19 
          
Balance Sheet (a)4Q22
3Q22
4Q21
Average total loans$   494,728 $456,085 $429,896 
Average total deposits$   443,988 $431,600 $424,228 
Book value per share$   6.55 $6.47 $5.90 
Tangible book value per share$   6.47 $6.39 $5.82 
(a) In thousands except for per share amounts          


Phil Guarnieri, Chief Executive Officer and Director of ES Bancshares, Inc. commented on the quarter stating, “We close out 2022 with healthy asset growth over the quarter and 20% loan growth year over year. This loan growth has exceeded the levels we saw at the height of the PPP program and will generate future value for years to come. Like most in the industry the Company saw pressure on the cost of funding, derived from the rapidly increasing interest rate environment, but the Company was able to maintain its net interest margin. With that said we are confident in our ability to execute our strategic plan in 2023.” Mr. Guarnieri went on to further state, “2022 was a record year for ESBS as we benefited from organic core business development which led to disciplined asset growth.”

Tom Sperzel, President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of ES Bancshares, Inc. added, “I am optimistic that with our strong underwriting standards, the local deposit market and our capital position, the balance sheet is set up to accommodate anticipated interest rate scenarios.”

Selected Balance Sheet Information
As of December 31, 2022, total assets were $587.9 million, an increase of $72.5 million, or 14.1%, as compared to total assets of $515.3 million on December 31, 2021. Loans receivable, net of allowance totaled $506.7 million, an increase of $84.5 million or 20% from December 31, 2021. The increase in loans receivable, net was attributable to higher loan originations fueled by the Bank’s investor residential product.

Asset quality remains strong with the allowance for loan loss representing 1.14% of the total loan portfolio at December 31, 2022, compared to 1.37% at December 31, 2021. Nonperforming assets, which includes nonaccrual loans and repossessed assets were $1.3 million or 0.25% of total assets, as of December 31, 2022, improving from $1.9 million or 0.38% of total assets of December 31, 2021. The ratio of nonaccrual loans to loans receivable was 0.28% and 0.45%, as of December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively.

Total deposits increased $16.1 million, or 3.7% to $449.8 million as of December 31, 2022, when compared to December 31, 2021. This annual deposit growth is inclusive of the June 2022 sale of $67 million in deposits in conjunction with the sale of our Newburgh office, consistent with our business plan to centralize the Company’s retail market to Staten Island and the Brooklyn markets.

As of December 31, 2022, the Bank's Tier 1 capital leverage ratio, common equity tier 1 capital ratio, Tier 1 capital ratio and total capital ratios were 10.11%, 14.26%, 14.26% and 15.51%, respectively, all in excess of the ratios required to be deemed "well-capitalized." As of December 31, 2022, ES Bancshares return on average equity and return on tangible equity was 7.71% and 7.82% respectively. Goodwill was $581 thousand as of December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021.

Financial Performance Overview:
For the three months ended December 31, 2022, net income totaled $843 thousand, which reflects a decrease of $29 thousand, in comparison to $872 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease resulted primarily from a provision for loan loss entry.

Net interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2022, increased $162 thousand to $4.40 million from $4.24 million at September 30, 2022. The Company’s net interest margin remained relatively unchanged, decreasing by one basis point to 3.26% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 3.27% for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease can be attributed to increased cost of funds.

There was a $100 thousand provision for loan losses entry for the three months ended December 31, 2022, compared to no entry for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Net recoveries for the three months ended December 31, 2022, totaled $1 thousand. The increase was driven by the increase in total loans period over period.

Non-interest income increased $91 thousand, to $357 thousand for the three months ended December 31, 2022, compared with non-interest income of $266 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase is a result from increased loan fees received.

Non-interest expense totaled $3.49 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022, compared to $3.38 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, or an increase of 3.3%. The increase in non-interest expense can be attributed to normalized Marketing and NYS Banking & FDIC assessment fees offset by against improved Occupancy and equipment expense.

About ES Bancshares Inc.
ES Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) is incorporated under Maryland law and serves as the holding company for Empire State Bank (the “Bank”). The Company is subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “FRB”) while the Bank is primarily subject to regulation and supervision by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Currently, the Company does not transact any material business other than through the Bank, its subsidiary.

The Bank was organized under federal law in 2004 as a national bank regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The Bank's deposits are insured up to legal limits by the FDIC. In March 2009, the Bank converted its charter to a New York State commercial bank charter. The Bank’s principal business is attracting commercial and retail deposits in New York and investing those deposits primarily in loans, consisting of commercial real estate loans, and other commercial loans including SBA and mortgage loans secured by one-to-four-family residences. In addition, the Bank invests in mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), securities issued by the U.S. Government and agencies thereof, corporate securities and other investments permitted by applicable law and regulations.

We operate from our five Banking Center locations, two Loan Production offices and our Corporate Headquarters located in Staten Island, New York. The Company’s website address is www.esbna.com. The Company’s annual report, quarterly earnings releases and all press releases are available free of charge through its website, as soon as reasonably practicable.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained in this release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate” or “continue” or comparable terminology, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, many of which are not within ES Bancshares, Inc’s. control. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release. We have no intention, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.

Investor Contact:
Peggy Edwards, Corporate Secretary
(845) 451-7825



ES Bancshares, Inc.
Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition
(in thousands)
  December 31,
2022
September 30,
2022
 December 31,
2021
  (unaudited)(unaudited) (Audited)
Assets     
Cash and cash equivalents$38,115 30,481  59,078 
Securities 16,042 32,622  11,192 
Loans receivable, net:     
Real estate mortgage loans 494,064 459,916  378,126 
Commercial and Lines of Credit 14,110 14,484  41,879 
Construction Loans - -  560 
Home Equity and Consumer Loans 466 668  5,187 
Deferred costs 3,953 3,828  2,353 
Allowance for loan losses (5,860)(5,760) (5,869)
Total loans receivable, net 506,732 473,136  422,236 
Investment in restricted stock, at cost 4,779 3,432  2,502 
Bank premises and equipment, net 6,209 5,776  6,427 
Accrued interest receivable 2,020 1,975  1,827 
Goodwill 581 581  581 
Repossessed assets - 117  - 
Bank Owned Life Insurance 5,202 5,168  5,067 
Other Assets 8,175 8,132  6,408 
Total Assets$587,855 561,420  515,318 
      
Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity     
Non-Interest-Bearing Deposits 132,997 150,677  149,769 
Interest-Bearing Deposits 276,174 263,217  273,876 
Brokered Deposits 40,627 39,051  10,040 
Total Deposits 449,798 452,945  433,685 
Bond Issue, net of costs 13,666 13,658  13,627 
Borrowed Money 64,900 35,000  15,169 
Other Liabilities 15,490 16,665  13,590 
Total Liabilities 543,854 518,268  476,071 
Stockholders' equity 44,001 43,152  39,247 
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$587,855 561,420  515,318 



 ES Bancshares, Inc.
Consolidated Statement of Income
(in thousands)
 Three Months Ended Years Ended
 December 31,
2022
September 30,
2022
June 30,
2022
March 31,
2022
 December 31,
2022
December 31,
2021
 (unaudited)(unaudited)(unaudited)(unaudited) (unaudited)(Audited)
Interest income       
Loans$5,652 $4,943 $4,672 $4,771  $20,038 $20,148 
Securities 137  172  163  91   563  151 
Other interest-earning assets 228  164  157  64   613  262 
Total Interest Income 6,017  5,279  4,992  4,926   21,214  20,561 
Interest expense       
Deposits 1,068  643  347  294   2,352  1,342 
Borrowings 545  394  274  271   1,484  1,338 
Total Interest Expense 1,613  1,037  621  565   3,836  2,680 
Net Interest Income 4,404  4,242  4,371  4,361   17,378  17,881 
Provision/(Benefit) for Loan Losses 99  -  (65) (113)  (79) 670 
Net Interest Income after Pro/(Benefit) for Loan Losses 4,305  4,242  4,436  4,474   17,457  17,211 
Non-interest income       
Deposit service charges 91  84  88  84   347  464 
Loan fee income 146  83  76  141   446  372 
Gain on Loan Sales -  -  -  241   241  343 
Gain on Branch Sale -  -  1,782  -   1,782  - 
Other 120  99  97  38   354  85 
Total non-interest income 357  266  2,043  504   3,170  1,264 
Non-interest expenses       
Compensation and benefits 1,881  1,826  1,839  1,721   7,267  6,570 
Occupancy and equipment 554  722  666  689   2,631  2,448 
Data processing service fees 386  345  262  260   1,253  913 
Marketing 77  (35) 100  108   250  228 
Professional fees 179  194  205  255   833  672 
NYS Banking & FDIC Assess 56  14  73  82   225  306 
Printing & Office Supplies 68  45  29  44   186  156 
Insurance 53  53  32  38   176  138 
Other 238  217  280  275   1,010  1,133 
Total non-interest expense 3,492  3,381  3,486  3,472   13,831  12,564 
Income prior to tax expense 1,170  1,127  2,993  1,506   6,796  5,911 
Income taxes 327  255  639  326   1,547  1,285 
Net Income$843 $872 $2,354 $1,180  $5,249 $4,626 



 For the Three Months Ended (dollars in thousands)
 December 31, 2022September 30, 2022December 31, 2021
 Avg Bal
Rolling
3 Mos.
Interest
Rolling
3 Mos.
Average
Yield/
Cost
Avg Bal
Rolling

3 Mos.
Interest
Rolling

3 Mos.
Average
Yield/
Cost
Avg Bal
Rolling
3 Mos.
Interest
Rolling

3 Mos.
Average
Yield/
Cost
Assets                   
Interest-earning assets:             
Loans receivable$494,728 $5,652 4.57%$456,085 $4,943 4.33%$429,896 $5,135 4.78%
Investment securities 22,678  137 2.42% 33,194  172 2.07% 8,568  63 2.93%
Interest-bearing deposits 19,536  162 3.32% 27,240  114 1.68% 48,757  27 0.22%
Restricted investment in bank stock 3,652  66 7.20% 1,691  50 11.78% 2,664  34 5.11%
Total interest-earning assets 540,594  6,017 4.45% 518,210  5,279 4.07% 489,885  5,259 4.29%
Non-interest earning assets 17,871    19,798    19,123   
Total assets$558,465   $538,008   $509,008   
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity         
Interest-bearing liabilities:         
Interest-bearing checking$32,065 $35 0.44%$32,736 $34 0.41%$35,051 $33 0.38%
Money market accounts 7,201  4 0.25% 6,589  3 0.20% 10,579  5 0.19%
Savings accounts 108,170  221 0.81% 134,132  180 0.53% 164,896  122 0.29%
Certificates of deposit 155,086  808 2.07% 117,679  426 1.44% 73,457  110 0.60%
Total interest-bearing deposits 302,522  1,068 1.40% 291,136  643 0.88% 283,983  270 0.38%
Borrowings 40,980  324 3.14% 35,000  173 1.96% 19,988  76 1.51%
Subordinated debenture 13,663  221 6.42% 13,655  221 6.42% 13,627  221 6.43%
Total interest-bearing liabilities 357,165  1,613 1.79% 339,791  1,037 1.21% 317,598  567 0.71%
Non-interest-bearing demand deposits 141,466    140,464    140,244   
Other liabilities 16,121    14,803    12,469   
Total non-interest-bearing liabilities 157,587    155,267    152,713   
Stockholders' equity 43,713    42,950    38,697   
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$558,465   $538,008   $509,008   
Net interest income $4,404   $4,242   $4,691  
Average interest rate spread   2.66%  2.86%  3.58%
Net interest margin   3.26%  3.27%  3.83%
             



Five Quarter
Performance Ratio Highlights
Three Months Ended
December 31,
2022
September 30,
2022
June 30,
2022
March 31,
2022
December 31,
2021
Income Statement               
 Return on Average Assets 0.60% 0.65% 1.73% 0.90% 1.04%
 Return on Average Equity 7.71% 8.12% 22.83% 11.78% 13.82%
 Return on Average Tangible Equity 7.82% 8.23% 23.15% 11.96% 14.03%
 Efficiency Ratio 54.79% 60.97% 52.56% 68.27% 62.17%
Yields / Costs     
 Average Yield - Interest Earning Assets 4.45% 4.07% 3.82% 3.95% 4.29%
 Cost of Funds 1.79% 1.21% 0.73% 0.69% 0.71%
 Net Interest Margin 3.26% 3.27% 3.34% 3.47% 3.83%
Capital Ratios     
 Equity / Assets 7.48% 7.68% 7.85% 7.43% 7.62%
 Tangible Equity / Assets 7.39% 7.59% 7.75% 7.33% 7.50%
 Tier 1 leverage ratio (a) 10.1% 10.3% 9.9% 10.0% 9.9%
 Common equity Tier I capital ratio (a) 14.3% 14.7% 15.8% 15.5% 15.5%
 Tier 1 Risk-based capital ratio (a) 14.3% 14.7% 15.8% 15.5% 15.5%
 Total Risk-based capital ratio (a) 15.5% 16.0% 17.0% 16.8% 16.7%
Stock Valuation     
 Book Value$6.55 $6.47 $6.37 $6.04 $5.90 
 Tangible Book Value$6.47 $6.39 $6.28 $5.96 $5.82 
 Shares Outstanding (b) 6,714  6,666  6,663  6,663  6,648 
Asset Quality     
 ALLL / Total Loans 1.14% 1.20% 1.37% 1.38% 1.37%
 Non-Performing Loans / Total Loans 0.28% 0.34% 0.38% 0.42% 0.45%
 Non-Performing Assets / Total Assets 0.25% 0.31% 0.37% 0.39% 0.38%
       
 (a) Ratios at Bank level
(b) Shares outstanding presented in thousands