STOCK TITAN

Meta Financial Group, Inc.® Announces Results for 2021 Fiscal First Quarter

Rhea-AI Impact
(Neutral)
Rhea-AI Sentiment
(Positive)
Tags
Rhea-AI Summary

Meta Financial Group (Nasdaq: CASH) reported a 50% increase in earnings per share, reaching $0.84 for Q1 FY2021, compared to $0.56 in Q1 FY2020. Net income grew to $28 million from $21.1 million. The company's total revenue rose 9% to $111.5 million, aided by a 2% increase in net interest income to $66 million. The efficiency ratio improved by 9% to 62.2% while average deposits surged 83% to $5.07 billion. However, net interest margin declined to 4.65%. The company is actively involved in distributing Economic Impact Payments and has expanded its solar lending business by 29%.

Positive
  • Earnings per share rose 50% to $0.84.
  • Net income increased to $28 million from $21.1 million.
  • Total revenue climbed 9% to $111.5 million.
  • Operating efficiency ratio improved by 9% to 62.2%.
  • Average deposits surged 83% to $5.07 billion.
  • Solar lending business increased by 29%.
Negative
  • Net interest margin dropped to 4.65% from 4.94%.
  • Total gross loans decreased by 4% year-over-year.

- Earnings Per Share Increased 50% Year-over-Year to $0.84

- Efficiency Ratio Improved 9% from Prior Year

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Jan. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meta Financial Group, Inc.® (Nasdaq: CASH) (“Meta” or the “Company”) reported net income of $28.0 million, or $0.84 per share, for the three months ended December 31, 2020, compared to net income of $21.1 million, or $0.56 per share, for the three months ended December 31, 2019.

“Solid revenues, lower expenses, and better efficiency ratios combined to deliver excellent results in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. I am extremely proud of my team's ability to persevere during the pandemic, delivering significant value to customers and shareholders from a remote working environment," said President and CEO Brad Hanson. "During the quarter, we spent time getting ready for the upcoming tax season, implementing H&R Block, and preparing for the distribution of the second round of Economic Impact Payments while advancing our long-standing mission of Financial Inclusion for All®, with increased resources and prioritization of Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives."

"Our quarterly results demonstrate ongoing progress in optimizing our business platforms, enabling us to improve our efficiency ratio by over 600 basis points compared with the prior year. Our loan portfolios continue to perform well, as our credit metrics demonstrate the Company's ability to weather the worst of the pandemic, leaving us well-positioned to continue to remix our balance sheet with higher yield and return earning assets," said Executive Vice President and CFO Glen Herrick.

Business Development Highlights for the 2021 Fiscal First Quarter

  • Began our new three-year program with Emerald Financial Services, LLC, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of H&R Block, Inc., which we announced in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. Have already moved more than $150 million in deposits and began issuing Emerald Prepaid Mastercard® to applicants.
  • Completed negotiations with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service ("Fiscal Service") to disperse a second round of Economic Income Payment ("EIP") stimulus payments through the distribution of prepaid cards. The Company began distributing cards under this authorization January 4, 2021.
  • Expanded our solar lending business, increasing our solar credit balance 29% to $323.9 million.
  • Increased resources dedicated to our Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG") activities by hiring an experienced Vice President of ESG and Community Impact and forming a Board-level ESG committee to provide oversight.

Financial Highlights for the 2021 Fiscal First Quarter

  • Total revenue for the first quarter was $111.5 million, an increase of 9% compared to $102.1 million for the same quarter in fiscal 2020.
  • Operating efficiency ratio improved to 62.2% at December 31, 2020, compared to 68.2% at December 31, 2019. See non-GAAP reconciliation table below.
  • Net interest income for the first quarter was $66.0 million, compared to $64.7 million in the comparable quarter last year.
  • Net interest margin ("NIM") decreased to 4.65% for the first quarter from 4.94% during the same period of last year, while the tax-equivalent net interest margin ("NIM, TE") decreased to 4.67% from 4.99% for that same period in fiscal 2020. The decrease in NIM during the first quarter was primarily driven by excess cash associated with the Company's participation in the EIP program, as described further below.
  • Total gross loans and leases at December 31, 2020 decreased $143.7 million, or 4%, to $3.44 billion, compared to December 31, 2019 and increased $125.4 million, or 4% when compared to September 30, 2020.
  • Average deposits from the payments division for the fiscal 2021 first quarter increased nearly 83% to $5.07 billion when compared to the same quarter in fiscal 2020. A significant portion of the year-over-year increase reflected the Company's participation in the EIP program, as described further below.
  • The Company repurchased 1,864,474 shares during the first quarter at an average price of $29.46. Through January 20, 2021, the Company repurchased an additional 300,000 of its shares, at a weighted average price of $38.73.

COVID-19 Business Update

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had 612 loans outstanding with total loan balances of $194.3 million originated as part of the Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP"), compared with 689 loans outstanding with total loan balances of $219.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.

As of December 31, 2020, $84.2 million of the loans and leases that were granted deferral payments by the Company were still in their deferment period. As of September 30, 2020, loans and leases totaling $170.0 million were within their deferment period. In addition, the Company has made other COVID-19 related modifications, of which $1.1 million were still active as of December 31, 2020 compared to $23.3 million at September 30, 2020. The majority of the other modifications were related to adjusting the type or amount of the customer's payments.

The Company's capital position remained strong as of December 31, 2020, even while absorbing the temporary impact resulting from the receipt of deposits in conjunction with EIP payments described below. In addition, the Company has options available that can be used to effectively manage capital levels, including a strong and flexible balance sheet.

EIP Program Update

The Bank is serving as the sole Financial Agent for distributing prepaid debit cards used in the EIP program. The Company's Payments division, in collaboration with Fiserv and Visa, is proud to have provided a safe and secure mechanism for individuals, including the underbanked, to receive their stimulus payments. Under the first round of EIP, approximately $6.42 billion in stimulus payments on 3.6 million prepaid cards were mailed to individuals across the United States. The total balances remaining on the first round of EIP cards were $605.1 million as of December 31, 2020 and $569.2 million as of January 20, 2021.

On December 27, 2020, the U.S. Congress, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“CAA”), directed the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) to distribute a second round of EIP via the U.S. Treasury to persons in the U.S. eligible to receive them. The Bank entered into an amendment of its existing agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service ("Fiscal Service"), under which the Bank will act as a Financial Agent to Fiscal Service in connection with the provision of prepaid debit card services to disburse a portion of the EIP payments to eligible recipients via Bank-issued prepaid cards.

Under the second round, the Bank disbursed approximately $7.10 billion of EIP payments, with initial payments having begun January 4, 2021. The total balances remaining on the second round of EIP cards were $5.80 billion as of January 20, 2021.

While the EIP Program's impact to earnings is expected to be slightly positive, it continues to temporarily have a significant impact on cash and deposit balances, leading to a reduced NIM along with a corresponding impact on the Company's leverage capital ratios. In conjunction with the Program and its balance sheet impacts, the Bank was granted temporary exemption from its requirements to maintain minimum regulatory capital leverage ratios by the Officer of the Comptroller of the Currency due to deposits received as part of the EIP program. The influx of EIP deposits is not expected to have any material impact on the Company's risk-weighted capital ratios.

The Company is working with other banks to transfer deposits off-balance sheet in an effort to relieve the impact of the substantial influx of deposits related to the second round of EIP.

Net Interest Income
Net interest income for the fiscal 2021 first quarter was $66.0 million, an increase of 2% from the same quarter in fiscal 2020. The increase was primarily driven by a reduction in total interest expense, partially offset by lower overall balances and yields realized on interest earning assets.

During the first fiscal quarter of 2021, loan and lease interest income decreased $7.0 million and investment securities interest income decreased $2.4 million, compared to the prior year quarter, while interest expense decreased $10.8 million over the same period. The quarterly average outstanding balance of loans and leases as a percentage of interest-earning assets for the first quarter decreased to 62%, from 72% for the comparable quarter last year, while the quarterly average balance of total investments as a percentage of interest-earning assets decreased to 23% from 26% over the same period. These decreases were primarily due to the increase in interest-earning cash balances related to the EIP program. The Company’s average interest-earning assets for the fiscal 2021 first quarter increased by $432.9 million, to $5.64 billion compared with the first quarter in fiscal 2020, primarily due to the effects of the EIP program.

NIM decreased to 4.65% for the fiscal 2021 first quarter from 4.94% for the comparable quarter last year, primarily due to the effects of the EIP program.

The overall reported tax-equivalent yield (“TEY”) on average earning asset yields decreased by 116 basis points to 4.82% for the fiscal 2021 first quarter compared to the prior year quarter, driven primarily by excess low-yielding cash held at the Federal Reserve, as well as the lower interest rate environment. The fiscal 2021 first quarter TEY on the securities portfolio was 1.79% compared to 2.65% for the comparable period last year.

The Company's cost of funds for all deposits and borrowings averaged 0.15% during the fiscal 2021 first quarter, compared to 1.01% during the prior year quarter. This reflected primarily a decrease in overnight borrowings rates as well as an increase in the average balance of the Company's noninterest-bearing deposits, mainly due to the EIP program noted above. The Company's overall cost of deposits was 0.06% in the fiscal first quarter of 2021, compared to 0.81% in the same quarter last year.

Noninterest Income
Fiscal 2021 first quarter noninterest income increased to $45.5 million, compared with $37.5 million for the same period of the prior year. This was due primarily to an increase within gain on sale of other, an increase in other income, and an increase in payments cards and deposit fees, partially offset by a decrease in rental income. The increase within gain on sale of other was primarily due to a loss on sale of foreclosed and repossessed assets recognized during the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. The increase within other income was primarily due to the receipt of a portion of the Company’s liquidation insurance claims of unearned premiums on the ReliaMax estate related to the Company’s student loan portfolio. The amount received in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 was $3.5 million.

Noninterest Expense
Noninterest expense decreased 4% to $72.6 million for the fiscal 2021 first quarter, from $75.8 million for the same quarter of last year, primarily driven by decreases in compensation and benefits, other expense, tax product expense, operating lease depreciation, and amortization expense, partially offset by increases within impairment expense, legal and consulting expense, and card processing expense.

Income Tax Expense
The Company recorded income tax expense of $3.5 million, representing an effective tax rate of 10.8%, for the fiscal 2021 first quarter, compared to an income tax expense of $0.7 million, representing an effective tax rate of 3.0%, for the first quarter last year.

The Company originated $38.5 million in solar leases during the fiscal 2021 first quarter, compared to $17.9 million during last year's first quarter. Investment tax credits related to solar leases are recognized ratably based on income throughout each fiscal year. The timing and impact of future solar tax credits are expected to vary from period to period, and Meta intends to undertake only those tax credit opportunities that meet the Company's underwriting and return criteria.

Investments, Loans and Leases

 December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 June 30, 2020 March 31, 2020 December 31, 2019
Total investments$1,309,452    $1,360,712    $1,268,416    $1,310,476    $1,337,840   
          
Loans held for sale         
Consumer credit products234    962    391    —    —   
SBA/USDA32,983    52,542    31,438    13,610    13,883   
Community Bank(1)100,442    130,073    48,076    —    250,383   
Total loans held for sale133,659    183,577    79,905    13,610    264,266   
          
National Lending         
Term lending881,306    805,323    738,454    725,581    695,347   
Asset based lending242,298    182,419    181,130    250,211    250,633   
Factoring275,650    281,173    206,361    285,495    285,776   
Lease financing283,722     { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "name": "Meta Financial Group, Inc.® Announces Results for 2021 Fiscal First Quarter FAQs", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What were Meta Financial Group's earnings for Q1 FY2021?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Earnings per share for Q1 FY2021 were $0.84, up 50% from $0.56 for the same quarter last year." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How did Meta Financial Group's revenue change in Q1 FY2021?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Total revenue increased by 9% to $111.5 million compared to $102.1 million in Q1 FY2020." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the stock symbol for Meta Financial Group?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The stock symbol for Meta Financial Group is CASH." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What impact did the EIP program have on Meta Financial Group?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The EIP program temporarily increased cash and deposit balances, affecting the net interest margin and capital ratios." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How did the efficiency ratio change for Meta Financial Group?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The efficiency ratio improved by 9% to 62.2% in Q1 FY2021." } } ] }

FAQ

What were Meta Financial Group's earnings for Q1 FY2021?

Earnings per share for Q1 FY2021 were $0.84, up 50% from $0.56 for the same quarter last year.

How did Meta Financial Group's revenue change in Q1 FY2021?

Total revenue increased by 9% to $111.5 million compared to $102.1 million in Q1 FY2020.

What is the stock symbol for Meta Financial Group?

The stock symbol for Meta Financial Group is CASH.

What impact did the EIP program have on Meta Financial Group?

The EIP program temporarily increased cash and deposit balances, affecting the net interest margin and capital ratios.

How did the efficiency ratio change for Meta Financial Group?

The efficiency ratio improved by 9% to 62.2% in Q1 FY2021.

Pathward Financial, Inc.

NASDAQ:CASH

CASH Rankings

CASH Latest News

CASH Stock Data

2.05B
24.43M
1.51%
94.82%
6.91%
Banks - Regional
National Commercial Banks
Link
United States of America
SIOUX FALLS