Eastern Bankshares Inc (EBC) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Income Growth and ...

In This Article:

  • Full Year Operating Net Income: $192.6 million, up 18% from 2023.

  • Net Interest Income: $607.6 million, increased 10% from 2023.

  • Net Interest Margin: Expanded by 12 basis points.

  • Period-End Loans: Increased by 29% year-over-year.

  • Period-End Deposits: Increased by 21% year-over-year.

  • Share Repurchase: $28.4 million worth of shares repurchased.

  • Dividend Increase: 9% increase in dividend.

  • Assets Under Management: $8.3 billion.

  • Assets Under Administration: $8.8 billion.

  • GAAP Net Income (Q4): $60.8 million or $0.30 per share.

  • Operating Net Income (Q4): $68.3 million, up 37% linked quarter.

  • Net Operating Income Per Share (Q4): Increased 36% to $0.34.

  • Operating ROA (Q4): 105 basis points, increased 26 basis points linked quarter.

  • Operating Return on Average Tangible Common Equity (Q4): 11.3%, up from 8.5% in Q3.

  • Operating Efficiency Ratio (Q4): Improved to 57.2%.

  • CET1 Ratio: 15.7% at year-end.

  • Allowance for Loan Losses: 129 basis points.

  • Charge-Offs (Q4): 71 basis points.

  • Noninterest Income (Q4): $37.3 million, increased $3.8 million linked quarter.

  • Noninterest Expense (Q4): $137.5 million, decreased $22.2 million linked quarter.

  • Deposit Costs (Q4): Reduced by 13 basis points to 169 basis points.

  • Commercial Loan Pipeline: Approximately $400 million.

  • Investment Portfolio Repositioning: $1.2 billion repositioning expected to be $0.13 accretive to operating EPS in 2025.

  • Share Repurchase (Q4): 908,000 shares at an average price of $17.41.

  • Dividend (Q1 2025): $0.12 per share.

  • Non-Performing Loans (Q4): $136 million or 76 basis points of total loans.

  • Criticized and Classified Loans (Q4): $595 million or 4.9% of total loans.

Release Date: January 24, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

  • Eastern Bankshares Inc (NASDAQ:EBC) reported a full-year operating net income of $192.6 million, an 18% increase from 2023.

  • The merger with Cambridge Trust solidified EBC's position as the largest commercial bank headquartered in Greater Boston.

  • Net interest income increased by 10% from 2023, with a 12 basis points expansion in the net interest margin.

  • EBC's liquidity position remains strong with a 21% year-over-year increase in period-end deposits and no wholesale funding.

  • The company successfully repurchased $28.4 million worth of shares and increased the dividend by 9%.

Negative Points

  • Charge-offs were elevated in the quarter at 71 basis points, primarily from PCD loans acquired from Cambridge.

  • The company faces potential headwinds from the overall economic and rate environment, which could impact growth.

  • There were significant credit marks taken through merger accounting, impacting financial performance.

  • The investor office loan portfolio remains a primary focus due to ongoing credit cycle challenges.

  • The earn-back period for the investment portfolio repositioning is longer than typical, at approximately 5.7 years.