Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida Announces Renewal of Share Repurchase Program

Rhea-AI Summary

Seacoast Banking of Florida (NASDAQ: SBCF) has announced the renewal of its share repurchase program by its Board of Directors on December 18, 2024. The new program, extending through December 31, 2025, authorizes the repurchase of up to $100 million of common stock, representing approximately 4% of outstanding shares.

The program allows for shares to be repurchased through various methods, including open market transactions, block purchases, and private negotiations, in compliance with Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act. The actual timing, number of shares, and method of repurchase will be determined by the company based on factors including price, market conditions, and capital requirements.

Positive

• Authorization of substantial $100 million share repurchase program
• Program represents potential buyback of 4% of outstanding shares
• Flexible implementation methods including open market and private transactions

Negative

• No obligation to purchase any specific number of shares
• Program can be suspended or terminated at any time without notice

Insights

Financial Analyst

The renewal of Seacoast Banking's $100 million share repurchase program is a strategic capital management move representing 4% of outstanding shares. This program provides flexibility in capital deployment and signals management's confidence in the bank's financial position. The size is meaningful relative to SBCF's $2.28 billion market cap. Share repurchases can enhance shareholder value by:

• Increasing earnings per share through reduced share count
• Providing price support during market volatility
• Optimizing capital structure when shares are undervalued

The program's discretionary nature and one-year timeframe allow management to opportunistically execute based on market conditions and capital needs. For retail investors, this represents a potential floor for the stock price, though actual impact depends on execution timing and volume. The renewal indicates healthy capital levels above regulatory requirements, as banks must maintain adequate capital ratios while conducting buybacks.

Banking Sector Analyst

This repurchase program renewal reflects robust capital management practices typical of well-capitalized regional banks. The $100 million authorization provides substantial dry powder for capital return while maintaining flexibility through discretionary execution. The multiple permitted repurchase methods - open market, block trades, private transactions and 10b5-1 plans - give management various tactical options to optimize implementation. For context, regional banks often utilize buybacks to manage excess capital when organic growth opportunities are or when shares trade below intrinsic value. The program's size suggests management sees value in SBCF shares while maintaining adequate capital for growth initiatives and regulatory requirements. The formal Rule 10b-18 compliance framework ensures orderly market execution without artificial price impacts.

STUART, Fla., Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (“Seacoast” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: SBCF) announced that on December 18, 2024, its Board of Directors (the “Board”) renewed the Company's share repurchase program, which was set to expire on December 31, 2024. Under the renewed repurchase program, which will expire on December 31, 2025, the Company may repurchase, from time to time, up to $100 million of its shares of common stock, representing approximately 4% of the Company’s outstanding common stock.

The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in the open market, by block purchase, in privately negotiated transactions, in one or more transactions from time to time, or pursuant to any trading plan adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). Open market purchases will be conducted in accordance with the limitations set forth in Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act and other applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will be made at the Company’s discretion and will depend on a variety of factors including, without limitation, price, corporate and regulatory requirements, market conditions, Seacoast’s financial performance, and bank capital and liquidity requirements and priorities. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular number of shares.

The repurchase program may be suspended, terminated or modified by the Board without notice at any time for any reason, including, without limitation, market conditions, the cost of repurchasing shares, the availability of alternative investment opportunities, capital and liquidity objectives, and other factors deemed appropriate by Seacoast’s management.

About Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ: SBCF)

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is one of the largest community banks headquartered in Florida with approximately $15.2 billion in assets and $12.2 billion in deposits as of September 30, 2024. Seacoast provides integrated financial services including commercial and consumer banking, wealth management, and mortgage services to customers at 77 full-service branches across Florida, and through advanced mobile and online banking solutions. Seacoast National Bank is the wholly-owned subsidiary bank of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida. For more information about Seacoast, visit www.SeacoastBanking.com.

Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning, and protections, of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, without limitation, statements about future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues, economic and seasonal conditions in the Company’s markets, and improvements to reported earnings that may be realized from cost controls, tax law changes, new initiatives and for integration of banks that the Company has acquired, or expects to acquire, as well as statements with respect to Seacoast's objectives, strategic plans, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to the Company’s beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates and intentions about future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond the Company’s control, and which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (“Seacoast” or the “Company”) or its wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Seacoast National Bank (“Seacoast Bank”), to be materially different from results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You should not expect the Company to update any forward-looking statements.

All statements other than statements of historical fact could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements through the use of words such as "may", "will", "anticipate", "assume", "should", "support", "indicate", "would", "believe", "contemplate", "expect", "estimate", "continue", "further", "plan", "point to", "project", "could", "intend", "target" or other similar words and expressions of the future. These forward-looking statements may not be realized due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation: the impact of current and future economic and market conditions generally (including seasonality) and in the financial services industry, nationally and within Seacoast’s primary market areas, including the effects of inflationary pressures, changes in interest rates, slowdowns in economic growth, and the potential for high unemployment rates, as well as the financial stress on borrowers and changes to customer and client behavior and credit risk as a result of the foregoing; potential impacts of adverse developments in the banking industry, including those highlighted by high-profile bank failures, and including impacts on customer confidence, deposit outflows, liquidity and the regulatory response thereto (including increases in the cost of our deposit insurance assessments), the Company's ability to effectively manage its liquidity risk and any growth plans, and the availability of capital and funding; governmental monetary and fiscal policies, including interest rate policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, as well as legislative, tax and regulatory changes including proposed overdraft and late fee caps, including those that impact the money supply and inflation; the risks of changes in interest rates on the level and composition of deposits (as well as the cost of, and competition for, deposits), loan demand, liquidity and the values of loan collateral, securities, and interest rate sensitive assets and liabilities; interest rate risks (including the impacts of interest rates on macroeconomic conditions, customer and client behavior, and on our net interest income), sensitivities and the shape of the yield curve; changes in accounting policies, rules and practices; changes in retail distribution strategies, customer preferences and behavior generally and as a result of economic factors, including heightened inflation; changes in the availability and cost of credit and capital in the financial markets; changes in the prices, values and sales volumes of residential and commercial real estate, especially as they relate to the value of collateral supporting the Company’s loans; the Company’s concentration in commercial real estate loans and in real estate collateral in Florida; Seacoast’s ability to comply with any regulatory requirements and the risk that the regulatory environment may not be conducive to or may prohibit or delay the consummation of future mergers and/or business combinations, may increase the length of time and amount of resources required to consummate such transactions, and may reduce the anticipated benefit; inaccuracies or other failures from the use of models, including the failure of assumptions and estimates, as well as differences in, and changes to, economic, market and credit conditions; the impact on the valuation of Seacoast’s investments due to market volatility or counterparty payment risk, as well as the effect of a decline in stock market prices on our fee income from our wealth management business; statutory and regulatory dividend restrictions; increases in regulatory capital requirements for banking organizations generally; the risks of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, including Seacoast’s ability to continue to identify acquisition targets, successfully acquire and integrate desirable financial institutions and realize expected revenues and revenue synergies; changes in technology or products that may be more difficult, costly, or less effective than anticipated; the Company’s ability to identify and address increased cybersecurity risks, including those impacting vendors and other third parties which may be exacerbated by developments in generative artificial intelligence; fraud or misconduct by internal or external parties, which Seacoast may not be able to prevent, detect or mitigate; inability of Seacoast’s risk management framework to manage risks associated with the Company’s business; dependence on key suppliers or vendors to obtain equipment or services for the business on acceptable terms; reduction in or the termination of Seacoast’s ability to use the online- or mobile-based platform that is critical to the Company’s business growth strategy; the effects of war or other conflicts, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, including hurricanes in the Company’s footprint, health emergencies, epidemics or pandemics, or other catastrophic events that may affect general economic conditions and/or increase costs, including, but not limited to, property and casualty and other insurance costs; Seacoast’s ability to maintain adequate internal controls over financial reporting; potential claims, damages, penalties, fines, costs and reputational damage resulting from pending or future litigation, regulatory proceedings and enforcement actions; the risks that deferred tax assets could be reduced if estimates of future taxable income from the Company’s operations and tax planning strategies are less than currently estimated, the results of tax audit findings, challenges to our tax positions, or adverse changes or interpretations of tax laws; the effects of competition from other commercial banks, thrifts, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies, credit unions, non-bank financial technology providers, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market and other mutual funds and other financial institutions; the failure of assumptions underlying the establishment of reserves for expected credit losses; risks related to, and the costs associated with, environmental, social and governance matters, including the scope and pace of related rulemaking activity and disclosure requirements; a deterioration of the credit rating for U.S. long-term sovereign debt, actions that the U.S. government may take to avoid exceeding the debt ceiling, and uncertainties surrounding the federal budget and economic policy; the risk that balance sheet, revenue growth, and loan growth expectations may differ from actual results; and other factors and risks described under “Risk Factors” herein and in any of the Company's subsequent reports filed with the SEC and available on its website at www.sec.gov.

All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice, including, without limitation, those risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in other periodic reports that the Company files with the SEC. Such reports are available upon request from the Company, or from the Securities and Exchange Commission, including through the SEC's Internet website at www.sec.gov.

FAQ

How much is Seacoast Banking's (SBCF) new share repurchase program worth?

Seacoast Banking's new share repurchase program is worth up to $100 million, representing approximately 4% of the company's outstanding common stock.

When does SBCF's new share repurchase program expire?

The renewed share repurchase program expires on December 31, 2025.

What methods can SBCF use to repurchase shares under the program?

SBCF can repurchase shares through open market purchases, block purchases, privately negotiated transactions, or pursuant to any trading plan adopted under Rule 10b5-1.

What factors will determine SBCF's actual share repurchases?

The timing and amount of repurchases will depend on factors including share price, market conditions, regulatory requirements, financial performance, and bank capital and liquidity requirements.