Southside Bancshares, Inc. Resumes Stock Repurchase Plan

Rhea-AI Summary

Southside Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBSI) has announced the resumption of its stock repurchase program, with 1.1 million shares remaining authorized for buyback. President Lee R. Gibson highlighted the financial performance and favorable market conditions as motivating factors. The initial pause in repurchases began in April due to pandemic-related uncertainties. The plan, originally increased to 2 million shares, has seen around 900,000 shares repurchased at an average of $29.82 each. Repurchases may occur through various methods, but the company is not obligated to complete them.

Positive

• Resumption of the stock repurchase program could enhance shareholder value.
• 1.1 million shares remain authorized for buyback, showing confidence in stock at current price levels.

Negative

• Temporary pause in stock repurchases since April indicates market volatility risks.
• The ongoing uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic may impact future financial performance.

TYLER, Texas, Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Southside Bancshares, Inc., (NASDAQ:SBSI) (the “Company”), will resume purchases of our common stock subject to its current Stock Repurchase Plan (the “Plan”), under which 1.1 million authorized shares remain.

“Due to our financial performance and the continued volatility in the market, we believe the opportunity remains to purchase shares of our stock at attractive price levels,” stated Lee R. Gibson, President and Chief Executive Officer. “On April 1, 2020, we temporarily paused purchases under the Plan due to uncertainties resulting from the pandemic.”

On March 13, 2020, the Company announced the Board of Directors increased its authorization under the Plan, previously authorized in September 2019, by an additional 1.0 million shares, for a total authorization to repurchase up to 2.0 million shares. Under the Plan, approximately 900,000 shares have been repurchased at an average price of $29.82 per share. There have been no repurchases since March 31, 2020.

Repurchases may be carried out in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions and pursuant to any trading plan that might be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company has no obligation to repurchase any shares under the Plan and may modify, suspend or discontinue the Plan at any time.

About Southside Bancshares, Inc.

Southside Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Tyler, Texas, with approximately $7.19 billion in assets as of September 30, 2020. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Southside Bank, Southside currently operates 57 branches and a network of 80 ATMs/ITMs throughout East Texas, Southeast Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. Serving customers since 1960, Southside Bank is a community-focused financial institution that offers a full range of financial products and services to individuals and businesses. These products and services include consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, deposit accounts, safe deposit boxes, treasury management, wealth management, trust services, brokerage services and an array of online and mobile services.

To learn more about Southside Bancshares, Inc., please visit our investor relations website at https://investors.southside.com. Our investor relations site provides a detailed overview of our activities, financial information and historical stock price data. To receive e-mail notification of company news, events and stock activity, please register on the E-mail Notification portion of the website. Questions or comments may be directed to Lindsey Bailes at (903) 630-7965, or lindsey.bailes@southside.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements of other than historical fact that are contained in this press release and in other written material, documents and oral statements issued by or on behalf of the Company may be considered to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of and subject to the safe harbor protections of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, nor should they be relied upon as representing management’s views as of any subsequent date.  These statements may include words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “anticipate,” “appear,” “believe,” “could,” “should,” “may,” “likely,” “intend,” “probability,” “risk,” “target,” “objective,” “plans,” “potential,” and similar expressions.  Forward-looking statements are statements with respect to the Company’s beliefs, plans, expectations, objectives, goals, anticipations, assumptions and estimates about the Company's future performance and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements.  For example, discussions about trends in asset quality, capital, liquidity, the pace of loan and revenue growth, the Company's ability to sell nonperforming assets, expense reductions, planned operational efficiencies, earnings, successful integration of completed acquisitions and certain market risk disclosures, including the impact of interest rates, tax reform and other economic factors, are based upon information presently available to management and are dependent on choices about key model characteristics and assumptions and are subject to various limitations.  By their nature, certain of the market risk disclosures are only estimates and could be materially different from what actually occurs in the future.  The most recent factor that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated by our forward-looking statements include the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial position, operations and prospects, including our ability to continue our business activities in certain communities we serve, the duration of the pandemic and its continued effects on financial markets, a reduction in financial transactions and business activities resulting in decreased deposits and reduced loan originations, increases in unemployment rates impacting our borrowers' ability to repay their loans, our ability to manage liquidity in a rapidly changing and unpredictable market, additional interest rate changes by the Federal Reserve and other government actions in response to the pandemic, including additional quarantines, regulations or laws enacted to counter the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

Additional information concerning the Company and its business, including additional factors that could materially affect the Company’s financial results, is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, under “Part I - Item 1. Forward Looking Information” and “Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors,” the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, under “Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors” and in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company disclaims any obligation to update any factors or to announce publicly the result of revisions to any of the forward-looking statements included herein to reflect future events or developments.

For further information:
Lindsey Bailes
(903) 630-7965

FAQ

What is Southside Bancshares' (SBSI) stock repurchase plan?

Southside Bancshares' stock repurchase plan allows the company to buy back its common shares, with 1.1 million shares remaining authorized for repurchase.

Why did Southside Bancshares resume its stock buyback program?

The company resumed its buyback program due to positive financial performance and attractive stock price levels amid market volatility.

How many shares has Southside Bancshares repurchased under its plan?

Approximately 900,000 shares have been repurchased at an average price of $29.82 per share.

What factors influenced the temporary pause in stock repurchases by SBSI?

The pause in stock repurchases was influenced by uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are the potential risks associated with Southside Bancshares' stock buyback plan?

Potential risks include ongoing market volatility and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial performance.