RED BANK, N.J., Oct. 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OceanFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:“OCFC”), (the “Company”), the holding company for OceanFirst Bank N.A. (the “Bank”), today announced that net income was $25.0 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2019, as compared to $24.1 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, net income was $65.1 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, as compared to $45.2 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period.
The results of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2019 include merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses and non-recurring professional fees, which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $2.6 million. The results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 include merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, non-recurring professional fees, and compensation expense due to the retirement of an executive officer, which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $14.0 million. Excluding these items, core earnings for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 were $27.5 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, and $79.1 million, or $1.56 per diluted share, respectively. (Please refer to the Non-GAAP Reconciliation table at the end of this document for details on the earnings impact of merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, non-recurring professional fees and compensation expense due to the retirement of an executive officer).
Highlights for the quarter are described below:Loan and deposit growth were both strong. Record loan originations of $482.2 million provided total loan growth of $138.2 million with a solid pipeline of $319.7 million at September 30, 2019. Deposits increased $33.4 million while the cost of deposits was 0.62%, unchanged from the prior linked quarter.The efficiency ratio improved to 57.9% from 68.1% in the prior linked quarter and the core efficiency ratio improved to 53.6% from 56.3% in the prior linked quarter, as the Company begins to realize the cost savings related to the integration of Capital Bank of New Jersey (“Capital Bank”).Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher D. Maher, commented on the Company’s results, “We are pleased to see that our organic expansion efforts in New York and Philadelphia are helping us grow the business. This strengthening organic growth helped deliver record quarterly core earnings of $27.5 million and positions us well for the fourth quarter and into 2020.” Mr. Maher added, “During the quarter, the Company announced plans to acquire Two River Bancorp and Country Bank Holding Company, Inc. We continue to make progress with the acquisition process and anticipate both closings in the first quarter of 2020.”
The Company announced that the Company’s Board of Directors declared its ninety-first consecutive quarterly cash dividend on common stock. The dividend, related to the three months ended September 30, 2019, of $0.17 per share will be paid on November 15, 2019 to stockholders of record on November 4, 2019.
Results of Operations
On January 31, 2018, the Company completed its acquisition of Sun Bancorp Inc. (“Sun”) and its results of operations are included in the consolidated results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, but are excluded from the results of operations for the period from January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2018.
On January 31, 2019, the Company completed its acquisition of Capital Bank and its results of operations from February 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019 are included in the consolidated results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, but are not included in the results of operations for the corresponding prior year periods.
Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2019, was $25.0 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, as compared to $24.1 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, was $65.1 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, as compared to $45.2 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period. Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2019 included merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, and non-recurring professional fees which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $2.6 million. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 included merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, non-recurring professional fees, and compensation expense due to the retirement of an executive officer, which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $14.0 million. Net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 included merger related and branch consolidation expenses, which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $1.6 million and $22.9 million, respectively. Excluding these items, net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 increased over the same prior year periods, primarily due to the acquisition of Capital Bank.
Net interest income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 increased to $63.4 million and $192.6 million, respectively, as compared to $61.5 million and $178.7 million, respectively, for the same prior year periods, reflecting an increase in interest-earning assets. Average interest-earning assets increased by $436.6 million and $594.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the same prior year periods. The averages for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 were favorably impacted by $363.1 million and $346.0 million, respectively, of interest-earning assets acquired from Capital Bank. Average loans receivable, net, increased by $474.2 million and $603.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the same prior year periods. The increases attributable to the acquisition of Capital Bank were $269.6 million and $251.8 million, respectively. The net interest margin for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 decreased to 3.55% and 3.66%, respectively, from 3.67% and 3.71%, respectively, for the same prior year periods. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, the cost of average interest-bearing liabilities increased to 0.98% and 0.95%, respectively, from 0.74% and 0.66%, respectively, in the corresponding prior year periods. The total cost of deposits (including non-interest bearing deposits) was 0.62% and 0.60% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to 0.39% and 0.36%, respectively, in the same prior year periods.
Net interest income for the three months ended September 30, 2019, decreased by $1.4 million, as compared to the prior linked quarter, as average interest-earning assets decreased by $7.4 million. The net interest margin decreased to 3.55% for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, as compared to 3.66% for the prior linked quarter. The decrease was primarily due to decreases in purchase accounting accretion of six basis points and prepayment fees of three basis points. Excluding these items, the net interest margin decreased two basis points. The total cost of deposits (including non-interest bearing deposits) was 0.62% for the both the three months ended September 30, 2019 and June 30, 2019.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, the provision for loan losses was $305,000 and $1.3 million, respectively, as compared to $907,000 and $3.0 million, respectively, for the corresponding prior year period, and $356,000 in the prior linked quarter. Net loan recoveries were $196,000 and net loan charge-offs were $1.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to net loan charge-offs of $777,000 and $1.9 million, respectively, in the corresponding prior year periods, and net loan charge-offs of $926,000 in the prior linked quarter. Non-performing loans totaled $17.5 million at September 30, 2019, as compared to $17.8 million at June 30, 2019 and $19.2 million at September 30, 2018.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, other income increased to $11.5 million and $30.9 million, respectively, as compared to $8.3 million and $26.1 million, respectively, for the corresponding prior year periods. The increases were partly due to the impact of the Capital Bank acquisition, which added $435,000 and $991,000 to other income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the same prior year periods. Excluding the Capital Bank acquisition, the increase in other income for the three months ended September 30, 2019 was primarily due to a decrease in the loss from real estate operations of $1.5 million and an increase in derivative fee income of $1.5 million, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2018. Excluding the Capital Bank acquisition, the increase in other income for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 was primarily due to a decrease in the loss from real estate operations of $2.7 million, an increase in derivative fee income of $2.5 million, and an increase in bankcard services of $679,000, partially offset by decreases in fees and service charges of $1.3 million, and rental income of $820,000 received primarily for January and February 2018 on the Company’s executive office.
For the three months ended September 30, 2019, other income increased by $1.7 million, as compared to the prior linked quarter. The increase was primarily due to an increase in derivative fee income of $1.5 million.
Operating expenses increased to $43.4 million and decreased to $141.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to $39.5 million and $147.3 million, respectively, in the same prior year periods. Operating expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2019 included $3.2 million of merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, and non-recurring professional fees. Operating expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 included $17.5 million of merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, non-recurring professional fees, and compensation expense due to the retirement of an executive officer, as compared to $2.0 million and $28.8 million, respectively, of merger related and branch consolidation expenses, in the same prior year periods. Excluding the impact of merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, non-recurring professional fees, and compensation expense due to the retirement of an executive officer, the change in operating expenses over the prior year was due to the Capital Bank acquisition, which added $1.2 million and $4.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. Excluding the Capital Bank acquisition, the increase in operating expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2019 over the prior year period was primarily due to increases in check card processing of $803,000, professional fees of $759,000, and compensation and employee benefits expense of $550,000, partially offset by decreases in Federal Deposit Insurance Company (“FDIC”) expense of $643,000, primarily as a result of assessment credits awarded by the FDIC to banks with consolidated assets less than $10 billion, and marketing expenses of $459,000. Excluding the Capital Bank acquisition, the remaining increase in operating expenses, for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 from the prior year period, was primarily due to increases in check card processing of $1.4 million, professional fees of $1.1 million, and other operation expenses of $976,000, partially offset by decreases in compensation and employee benefits expense of $1.3 million, and FDIC expense of $1.0 million.
For the three months ended September 30, 2019, operating expenses, excluding merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, and non-recurring professional fees, decreased by $1.9 million from the three months ended June 30, 2019, excluding merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, and compensation expense due to the retirement of an executive officer. The decrease in operating expenses was primarily due to decreases in compensation and employee benefits of $1.2 million, marketing expenses of $575,000, and FDIC expense of $505,000, partially offset by an increase in professional fees of $422,000.
For the three months ended September 30, 2019, operating expenses included $750,000 of non-recurring professional fees associated with the restructuring of the Company’s primary core processor vendor contract. The revised contractual terms will result in future annual cost savings of 22%, or approximately $1.5 million annually, and the earnback on the contract restructuring charges is anticipated to occur over the next six months. During the fourth quarter, the Company plans to restructure its retail online and mobile banking vendor contract and expects to incur approximately $1.3 million in non-recurring professional fees. The restructured contractual terms are expected to result in an annual cost savings of 48%, or approximately $1.6 million annually, and the earnback on the contract restructuring charges is anticipated to occur over the next ten months.
The provision for income taxes was $6.3 million and $15.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to $5.3 million and $9.3 million, respectively, for the same prior year periods. The effective tax rate was 20.2% and 19.3% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to 18.0% and 17.1%, respectively, for the same prior year periods. The lower effective tax rates in the prior year periods were primarily due to larger tax benefits from employee stock option exercises and an increase in state taxes due to revisions in the New Jersey tax code.
Financial Condition
Total assets increased by $619.0 million, to $8.135 billion at September 30, 2019, from $7.516 billion at December 31, 2018, primarily as a result of the acquisition of Capital Bank, which added $494.7 million to total assets. Loans receivable, net, increased by $502.7 million, to $6.082 billion at September 30, 2019, from $5.579 billion at December 31, 2018, due to acquired loans of $307.8 million. As part of the acquisition of Capital Bank, the Company’s goodwill balance increased to $374.5 million at September 30, 2019, from $338.4 million at December 31, 2018. The core deposit intangible decreased to $16.6 million, from $17.0 million at December 31, 2018 due to amortization of core deposit intangible, partially offset by the increase from the acquisition of Capital Bank.
Deposits increased by $406.3 million, to $6.221 billion at September 30, 2019, from $5.815 billion at December 31, 2018, primarily due to acquired deposits of $449.0 million. The loan-to-deposit ratio at September 30, 2019 was 97.8%, as compared to 96.0% at December 31, 2018.
Stockholders’ equity increased to $1.145 billion at September 30, 2019, as compared to $1.039 billion at December 31, 2018. The acquisition of Capital Bank added $76.4 million to stockholders’ equity. At September 30, 2019, there were 508,986 shares available for repurchase under the Company’s stock repurchase program. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company repurchased 786,567 shares under the repurchase program at a weighted average cost of $22.95. Tangible stockholders’ equity per common share increased to $14.86 at September 30, 2019, as compared to $14.26 at December 31, 2018.
Asset Quality
The Company’s non-performing loans increased to $17.5 million at September 30, 2019, as compared to $17.4 million at December 31, 2018. Non-performing loans do not include $13.3 million of purchased credit-impaired (“PCI”) loans acquired in the Capital Bank, Sun, Ocean Shore Holding Co. (“Ocean Shore”), Cape Bancorp, Inc. (“Cape”), and Colonial American Bank (“Colonial American”) acquisitions (“Acquisition Transactions”). The Company’s other real estate owned totaled $294,000 at September 30, 2019, as compared to $1.4 million at December 31, 2018.
At September 30, 2019, the Company’s allowance for loan losses was 0.27% of total loans, a decrease from 0.30% at December 31, 2018. These ratios exclude existing fair value credit marks of $32.8 million at September 30, 2019 on loans acquired from the Acquisition Transactions, and $31.6 million at December 31, 2018 on loans acquired from Sun, Ocean Shore, Cape and Colonial American. These loans were acquired at fair value with no related allowance for loan losses. The allowance for loan losses as a percent of total non-performing loans was 95.32% at September 30, 2019, as compared to 95.19% at December 31, 2018.
Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Reported amounts are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). The Company’s management believes that the supplemental non-GAAP information, which consists of reported net income excluding merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses, non-recurring professional fees, compensation expense due to the retirement of an executive officer, and the impact to income tax expense related to the revaluation of deferred tax assets as required under Tax Reform, which can vary from period to period, provides a better comparison of period to period operating performance. Additionally, the Company believes this information is utilized by regulators and market analysts to evaluate a company’s financial condition and therefore, such information is useful to investors. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial results in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures which may be presented by other companies. Please refer to Non-GAAP Reconciliation table at the end of this document for details on the earnings impact of these items.
Conference Call
As previously announced, the Company will host an earnings conference call on Friday, October 25, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The direct dial number for the call is (888) 338-7143. For those unable to participate in the conference call, a replay will be available. To access the replay, dial (877) 344-7529, Replay Conference Number 10135355 from one hour after the end of the call until January 23, 2020. The conference call, as well as the replay, are also available (listen-only) by internet webcast at www.oceanfirst.com in the Investor Relations section.
OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s subsidiary, OceanFirst Bank N.A., founded in 1902, is an $8.1 billion regional bank operating throughout New Jersey, metropolitan Philadelphia and metropolitan New York City. OceanFirst Bank delivers commercial and residential financing solutions, trust and asset management and deposit services and is one of the largest and oldest community-based financial institutions headquartered in New Jersey.
OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s press releases are available by visiting us at www.oceanfirst.com.Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “will,” “should,” “may,” “view,” “opportunity,” “potential,” or similar expressions or expressions of confidence. The Company’s ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on the operations of the Company and its subsidiaries include, but are not limited to: changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, levels of unemployment in the Bank’s lending area, real estate market values in the Bank’s lending area, future natural disasters and increases to flood insurance premiums, the level of prepayments on loans and mortgage-backed securities, legislative/regulatory changes, monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the quality or composition of the loan or investment portfolios, demand for loan products, deposit flows, competition, demand for financial services in the Company’s market area, accounting principles and guidelines and the Bank’s ability to successfully integrate acquired operations. These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, under Item 1A – Risk Factors and elsewhere, and subsequent securities filings and should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
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(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION
(continued)COMPUTATION OF TOTAL TANGIBLE EQUITY TO TOTAL TANGIBLE ASSETS(continued)ACQUISITION DATE – FAIR VALUE BALANCE SHEETThe following table summarizes the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at the date of the acquisition for Capital Bank, net of the total consideration paid (in thousands):The calculation of goodwill is subject to change for up to one year after the date of acquisition as additional information relative to the closing date estimates and uncertainties become available. As the Company finalizes its review of the acquired assets and liabilities, certain adjustments to the recorded carrying values may be required.Company Contact:Michael J. Fitzpatrick
Chief Financial Officer
OceanFirst Financial Corp.
Tel: (732) 240-4500, ext. 7506
Email: [email protected]
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