Bank First Announces Net Income for the Fourth Quarter of 2023

Rhea-AI Summary

Bank First Corporation reported a significant increase in net income and earnings per common share for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023. The company also declared a 16.7% increase in quarterly cash dividend, reflecting strong financial performance and growth. However, the sale of US Treasury securities resulted in a realized loss on sale, and the Bank experienced a negative valuation adjustment to its mortgage servicing rights asset.

Positive

• Net income and earnings per common share increased significantly for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023
• Declared a 16.7% increase in quarterly cash dividend
• Total assets increased by $561.4 million from December 31, 2022
• Total loans increased by $449.0 million from December 31, 2022
• Total deposits were up $372.7 million from December 31, 2022
• Stockholders' equity increased by $166.7 million from the end of 2022
• Tangible common equity increased by $91.6 million during the full year of 2023

Negative

• Realized loss on sale of US Treasury securities
• Negative valuation adjustment to mortgage servicing rights asset

Insights

Financial Analyst

The reported net income of $34.9 million for the quarter and $74.5 million for the year, alongside earnings per share of $3.39 and $7.28 respectively, indicate a strong financial performance for Bank First Corporation. The increase in the annualized return on average assets to 3.34% for the quarter and 1.83% for the year suggests efficient asset utilization, a key metric for investors assessing the bank's profitability. The pre-tax gain of $38.9 million from the sale of UFS, LLC, is a significant one-time event that contributed to the growth in book value per common share by 7.50% and tangible book value (non-GAAP) by 11.95% during the fourth quarter. It's important to note that such one-time gains can inflate profitability metrics, which should be considered when evaluating the bank's ongoing earnings potential.

The quarterly cash dividend increase to $0.35 per share, which is up 16.7% from the previous quarter and 40.0% from the same quarter last year, reflects the bank's confidence in its financial health and commitment to returning value to shareholders. This is a positive signal to the market and could potentially influence the stock's attractiveness to income-focused investors.

Economist

The bank's strategic financial maneuvers, such as repaying $11.5 million in subordinated debt and redeeming $8.3 million in debt securities, will reduce future interest expenses by over $2.1 million annually. This proactive debt management is a prudent step in an environment where interest rates have been rising, thereby potentially improving net interest margins (NIM) over time. However, the sale of US Treasury securities at a loss of $7.8 million, though aimed at reinvesting in higher-yielding assets, indicates a response to changing market conditions which could have been prompted by expectations of a shifting interest rate landscape.

The reported net interest margin of 3.53% for the quarter, a decrease from 3.71% in the previous quarters, reflects the impact of interest rate volatility and competitive pressures in the banking industry. While the bank has managed to expand its NIM excluding purchase accounting impacts in previous quarters, maintaining or growing this margin in a fluctuating rate environment will be a key challenge going forward.

Market Research Analyst

Bank First's asset quality remains a critical factor, with nonperforming assets totaling $9.1 million, a slight increase from $6.7 million the previous year. The nonperforming assets to total assets ratio of 0.21% is a modest uptick from 0.18% and warrants monitoring, as it is an indicator of the health of the loan portfolio. The bank's capital position, with stockholders' equity increasing to $619.8 million, partly due to the Hometown acquisition, suggests a solid capital buffer which is reassuring for stakeholders.

From a market perspective, the bank's growth through acquisitions and the expansion of its branch network, as well as its diversified financial services offering, including insurance and investment advisory, position it well for competitive advantage in the regional banking sector. The increase in total assets to $4.22 billion is a testament to the bank's growth strategy. However, market observers should watch for how effectively the bank integrates these acquisitions and manages the associated increase in noninterest expenses, which have shown volatility in recent quarters.

• Net income of $34.9 million and $74.5 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, respectively
• Earnings per common share of $3.39 and $7.28 for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, respectively
• Annualized return on average assets of 3.34% and 1.83% for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, respectively
• $38.9 million pre-tax gain on sale of member interest in UFS, LLC, contributing to $4.18, or 7.50%, and $4.30, or 11.95%, growth in book value per common share and tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP), respectively, during the fourth quarter of 2023
• Quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 per share declared, an increase of 16.7% from the prior-quarter and 40.0% from the prior-year fourth quarter

MANITOWOC, Wis., Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank First Corporation (NASDAQ: BFC) ("Bank First" or the "Bank"), the holding company for Bank First, N.A., reported net income of $34.9 million, or $3.39 per common share, for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared with net income of $12.8 million, or $1.43 per share, for the prior-year fourth quarter. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Bank First earned $74.5 million, or $7.28 per common share, compared to $45.2 million, or $5.58 per share for the full year of 2022.

Financial results for the fourth quarter of 2023 included several significant one-time transactions:

• The Bank sold 100% of its member interest in UFS, LLC ("UFS") in a transaction which closed on October 1, 2023, resulting in a pre-tax gain on sale of $38.9 million.
• The Bank repaid $11.5 million in subordinated debt owed to three financial institutions, reducing future interest expense for the Bank by over $1.0 million annually.
• The Bank redeemed $8.3 million in debt securities related to the Hometown Bancorp, Ltd. Capital Trust II ("Trust II") in the fourth quarter of 2023 and informed holders of securities of Hometown Bancorp, Ltd. Capital Trust I ("Trust I") of its intent to redeem $4.1 million in debt securities related to that trust on January 7, 2024. These redemptions reduce future interest expense for the Bank by over $1.1 million annually, but also led to the accelerated amortization of $1.4 million in fair value adjustments assigned to these liabilities when they were acquired along with Hometown Bancorp Ltd. ("Hometown") earlier in 2023. The impact of this acceleration was recorded in interest expense for the fourth quarter of 2023.
• The Bank sold available for sale US Treasury securities with a par value of $50.0 million resulting in a realized loss on sale totaling $7.8 million, recorded in noninterest expense. These securities had an average yield of 1.36%. Proceeds of these sales were reinvested in a combination of short and long-term investments with an average yield of 4.98%, increasing future interest income by over $1.8 million annually.
• The Bank vacated the former corporate headquarters of Hometown, moving this building to other real estate owned ("OREO"), and revalued four other OREO properties (all former bank branches) leading to a combined loss on OREO valuations of $1.6 million.
• The Bank will be closing a branch location during the first quarter of 2024 concurrent with opening a new flagship location in its Green Bay, WI market. The closed branch will be moved to OREO at an expected valuation significantly below its carrying value, leading the Bank to impair the cost basis of this branch building by $0.4 million. This impairment expense is included in "other noninterest expense" in the financial reports attached to this release.

After removing the impact of these one-time transactions as well as a severance charge discussed later in this release, the Bank reported adjusted net income (non-GAAP) of $14.8 million, or $1.44 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared with $13.9 million, or $1.54 per share, for the prior-year fourth quarter. For the year ended December 31, 2023, adjusted net income (non-GAAP) totaled $59.2 million, or $5.82 per share, compared to $50.5 million, or $6.28 per share for the full year of 2022.

Operating Results
Net interest income ("NII") during the fourth quarter of 2023 was $32.9 million, down $1.1 million from the previous quarter but up $2.3 million from the fourth quarter of 2022. The previously mentioned accelerated fair value amortization related to the redemption of Trust I and Trust II led to a one-time $1.4 million reduction in NII in the fourth quarter of 2023. The impact of purchase accounting (including the $1.4 million reduction related to Trust I and Trust II) increased NII by $0.3 million, or $0.03 per share after tax, during the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $1.3 million, or $0.13 per share after tax, during the previous quarter and $0.9 million, or $0.10 per share after tax, during the fourth quarter of 2022.

Net interest margin ("NIM") was 3.53% for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 3.71% for the previous quarter and the fourth quarter of 2022. NII from purchase accounting increased NIM by 0.01% during the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 0.19% and 0.15% for the previous quarter and fourth quarter of 2022, respectively. While the Bank's average rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities rose throughout 2023, increasing average rates earned on interest-earning assets as well as the beneficial impact of the Bank's continuing high percentage of noninterest-bearing deposits (31.7% of the Bank's total core deposits at December 31, 2023) have allowed the Bank's net interest margin, excluding purchase accounting impacts, to expand quarter-over-quarter for the second and third quarter of 2023 and remain level from the third to the fourth quarter.

Bank First recorded a provision for credit losses totaling $0.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, matching the fourth quarter of 2022. $0.2 million of this fourth quarter 2023 provision related to potential credit losses in the loan portfolio and $0.3 million related to potential credit losses in unfunded loan commitments. No provision for credit losses was recorded during the previous two quarters. Provision expense was $4.7 million for the full year of 2023 compared to $2.2 million for the full year of 2022. The acquisition of the loan portfolio of Hometown during the first quarter of 2023 resulted in a day 1 provision for credit losses expense of $3.6 million as required under the Current Expected Credit Losses ("CECL") methodology, which the Bank adopted on January 1, 2023. The minimal provisions for credit losses during the final three quarters of 2023 was the result of continued strong asset quality metrics discussed later in this release. Recoveries of previously charged-off loans exceeded currently charged-off loans by $0.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to recoveries exceeding charge-offs by $0.2 million during the previous year.

Noninterest income was $42.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $5.3 million and $3.9 million for the prior quarter and fourth quarter of 2022, respectively. The largest differentiator in quarterly noninterest income during the fourth quarter of 2023 was the aforementioned gain on sale of UFS, which totaled $38.9 million. Service charge income totaled $1.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, matching the prior quarter but increasing by $0.3 million, or 18.1%, from the prior-year fourth quarter as a result of the added scale from the acquisitions of Denmark Bancshares, Inc. ("Denmark") during 2022 and Hometown earlier in 2023. Income provided by the Bank's investment in Ansay & Associates, which typically reaches its seasonal low during the fourth quarter of each year, decreased by $0.1 million from the prior-year fourth quarter while declining $0.7 million from the prior quarter. Income from this investment increased by $0.4 million, or 14.2%, for the full year of 2023 compared to the full year of 2022. Income from UFS was overestimated by $0.2 million during the third quarter of 2023 requiring an immaterial adjustment in the fourth quarter. Loan servicing income from loans previously sold to the secondary market with servicing rights, and therefore servicing income, retained by the Bank matched the prior quarter but increased by $0.2 million, or 36.0% from the prior-year fourth quarter. Sold but serviced loan portfolios acquired from Hometown totaled $343.6 million, leading to this increase in loan servicing income. The Bank experienced a $0.1 million negative valuation adjustment to its mortgage servicing rights asset during the fourth quarter of 2023 which compared unfavorably to a $0.2 million positive adjustment in the prior quarter and a negligible adjustment during the prior-year fourth quarter.

Noninterest expense was $28.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $19.6 million during the prior quarter and $17.3 million during the fourth quarter of 2022. The previously mentioned loss on sale of available for sale US Treasury securities and various valuation adjustments to OREO (including $0.4 million recorded in "other noninterest expense") elevated noninterest expense during the fourth quarter of 2023 by $9.8 million. A reorganization of the management structure over commercial banking, intended to improve operating efficiency and consistency across the Bank, led to a one-time severance expense of $0.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, recorded in personnel expense. Outside of these events, most areas of noninterest expense have increased over the past five quarters as a result of added operational scale from the acquisitions of Denmark and Hometown. Expenses directly attributable to these acquisitions have also caused volatility in several noninterest expense areas, most notably occupancy and outside service fee expenses during the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. Core deposit intangible assets of $15.1 million and $16.5 million created by the Denmark and Hometown acquisitions, respectively, have also created an increase in amortization of intangible assets expense over the last six quarters which totaled $6.3 million during the full year 2023 compared to $2.3 million for the prior-year.

While we anticipate a decrease in the Bank's effective income tax rate in future quarters as a result of the current Wisconsin state budget, signed by Governor Evers on July 5, 2023, which included a provision offering an income tax exclusion on certain commercial and agricultural loans to borrowers who reside or are located in the state of Wisconsin, the large gain on sale of UFS in the current quarter pushed total income before income tax expense well beyond any significant impact of the tax benefit from this income exclusion.

Balance Sheet
Total assets were $4.22 billion at December 31, 2023, a $561.4 million increase from December 31, 2022. The preliminary fair value of assets acquired in the Hometown acquisition during the first quarter of 2023 totaled approximately $614.4 million.

Total loans were $3.34 billion at December 31, 2023, up $449.0 million from December 31, 2022. Loans contracted slightly during the fourth quarter of 2023.

Total deposits, nearly all of which remain core deposits, were $3.43 billion at December 31, 2023, up $372.7 million from December 31, 2022. As mentioned earlier in this release, noninterest-bearing demand deposits comprised 31.7% of the Bank's total core deposits at December 31, 2023, compared to 31.1% at December 31, 2022.

Asset Quality
Nonperforming assets at December 31, 2023 totaled $9.1 million compared to $6.7 million at the end of the prior year. Nonperforming assets to total assets ended the fourth quarter of 2023 at 0.21%, up slightly from 0.18% at the end of the prior year. Nonperforming assets at December 31, 2023 included five properties valued at $2.5 million that were previously operating branch locations of acquired institutions which are no longer part of the Bank's branch network. These properties have all been listed for sale.

Capital Position
Stockholders' equity totaled $619.8 million at December 31, 2023, an increase of $166.7 million from the end of 2022. The acquisition of Hometown during the first quarter of 2023 increased total stockholders' equity by $115.1 million. Strong earnings along with a significant reduction in unrealized losses in the Bank's available-for-sale securities led to a $42.5 million increase in total stockholders' equity during the fourth quarter of 2023. Bank First's tangible common equity (non-GAAP) increased by $91.6 million during the full year of 2023. The Bank's book value per common share totaled $59.80 at December 31, 2023 compared to $50.22 at December 31, 2022. Tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP) totaled $40.30 at December 31, 2023 compared to $36.14 at December 31, 2022.

Dividend Declaration
Bank First's Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 per common share, payable on April 10, 2024, to shareholders of record as of March 27, 2024. This dividend represents a 16.7% and 40.0% increase over the dividend declared for the prior quarter and one year earlier, respectively.

Bank First Corporation provides financial services through its subsidiary, Bank First, N.A., which was incorporated in 1894. Bank First offers loan, deposit and treasury management products at each of its 26 banking locations in Wisconsin. The Bank has grown through both acquisitions and de novo branch expansion. The Bank employs approximately 379 full-time equivalent staff and has assets of approximately $4.2 billion. Insurance services are available through our bond with Ansay & Associates, LLC. Trust, investment advisory and other financial services are offered in collaboration with several regional partners. Further information about Bank First Corporation is available by clicking on the Shareholder Services tab at www.bankfirst.com.

For further information, contact:
Kevin M LeMahieu, Chief Financial Officer
Phone: (920) 652-3200 / klemahieu@bankfirst.com

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SOURCE Bank First Corporation

FAQ

What was Bank First Corporation's net income for the fourth quarter of 2023?

Bank First Corporation reported a net income of $34.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2023.

What was the increase in the quarterly cash dividend declared by Bank First Corporation?

Bank First Corporation declared a 16.7% increase in the quarterly cash dividend.

What was the impact of the sale of US Treasury securities on Bank First Corporation's financials?

The sale of US Treasury securities resulted in a realized loss on sale totaling $7.8 million, recorded in noninterest expense.

What was the total assets of Bank First Corporation at December 31, 2023?

Total assets were $4.22 billion at December 31, 2023, a $561.4 million increase from December 31, 2022.

What was the total loans of Bank First Corporation at December 31, 2023?

Total loans were $3.34 billion at December 31, 2023, up $449.0 million from December 31, 2022.