Peoples Financial Services Corp. Reports Third Quarter 2017 Earnings

SCRANTON, Pa., Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Peoples Financial Services Corp. ("Peoples") (NASDAQ: PFIS), the bank holding company for Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company, today reported unaudited financial results at and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.  Peoples reported net income of $5.4 million, or $0.72 per share for the third quarter of 2017, compared to $5.1 million, or $0.69 per share for the comparable period of 2016.

Core net income for the three months ended September 30, 2017 was $5.4 million, a $232 thousand increase from $5.1 million for the same period in 2016. The results for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 did not include any income that is considered non-core.

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, totaled $15.8 million or $2.14 per share compared to $14.9 million or $2.01 per share for the same period last year.

Core net income, which we have defined to exclude gains on the sale of investment securities available-for-sale, as well as the gain on the sale of our merchant services portfolio, net of tax, for both the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 was $14.5 million. Core net income per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $1.96, an increase from $1.95 for the same period in 2016. The results for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 include a gain on the sale of our merchant services portfolio of $2.3 million while the results for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 include net gains on the sale of investment securities of $623 thousand.

In addition to evaluating its results of operations in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"), Peoples routinely supplements its evaluation with an analysis of certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as tangible stockholders' equity and core net income ratios. The reported results included herein contain items, which Peoples considers non-core, namely gains on sales of investment securities available-for-sale, as well as the gain on the sale of our merchant services portfolio. Peoples believes the reported non-GAAP financial measures provide information useful to investors in understanding its operating performance and trends. Where non-GAAP disclosures are used in this press release, a reconciliation to the comparable GAAP measure is provided in the accompanying tables. The non-GAAP financial measures Peoples uses may differ from the non-GAAP financial measures of other financial institutions.

NOTABLES

• Loans, net grew $99.6 million, or 8.7% annualized for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

• Deposits grew $99.1 million or 8.3% annualized for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

• Book value per share improved to $36.00 at September 30, 2017 from $34.71 at December 31, 2016, and $34.68 at September 30, 2016.

• Tangible book value per share improved to $26.97 at September 30, 2017 from $25.57 at December 31, 2016, and $25.50 at September 30, 2016.

• Tax-equivalent net interest income increased to $17.5 million for the third quarter of 2017 compared to $17.0 million for the second quarter of 2017, and $16.6 million for the third quarter of 2016.

• Tax-equivalent net interest margin increased five basis points in the third quarter of 2017 to 3.73%, compared to 3.68% for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, but decreased three basis points compared to 3.76% for the quarter ended September 30, 2016.

• Nonperforming assets to loans, net, and foreclosed assets increased to 0.83% at September 30, 2017, from 0.73% at June 30, 2017, but decreased compared to 0.93% at September 30, 2016.

• The allowance for loan losses to loans, net increased to 1.15 % at September 30, 2017, from 1.11% at June 30, 2017, and 1.03% at September 30, 2016.

• Opened a new community office located in the Lehigh Valley, on Tilghman Street in West Allentown, PA. The office includes a retail branch which opened for the transaction of business in July 2017.

INCOME STATEMENT REVIEW

The tax-equivalent net interest margin for the three and nine months ended September 30, were 3.73% and 3.71% respectively in 2017, compared to 3.76% and 3.79%, respectively for the same periods in 2016.

Tax-equivalent net interest income for the nine months ended September 30, increased $2.5 million to $51.1 million in 2017 from $48.6 million in 2016. The increase in tax equivalent net interest income was primarily due to a $128.6 million increase in average earning assets for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 when compared to the same period in 2016. The tax-equivalent yield on the loan portfolio decreased to 4.39% for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to 4.45% for the comparable period in 2016. Loans, net averaged $1.6 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and $1.4 billion for the comparable period in 2016. For the nine months ended September 30, the tax-equivalent yield on total investments decreased to 2.85% in 2017 from 2.91% in 2016. Average investments totaled $269.9 million through three quarters in 2017 and $272.5 million in those same three quarters in 2016. Average interest-bearing liabilities increased $102.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the corresponding period last year. The cost of funds, which represents our average rate paid on total interest-bearing liabilities, increased to 0.60% in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 from 0.55% for the same period of 2016.

The provision for loan losses totaled $3.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016. For the quarter ended September 30, the provision for loan losses was $1.2 million in both 2017 and 2016.

For the nine months ended September 30, noninterest income totaled $13.8 million in 2017, an increase from $12.0 million in 2016. The gain on sale of our merchant services portfolio was $2.3 million in 2017 compared to the same period in 2016 when we recognized gains of $623 thousand from the sale of available-for-sale investment securities. Increases in service charges, fees and commissions, income from fiduciary activities and wealth management services more than offset decreases in income generated from revenues from merchant services, income from mortgage banking activities and life insurance investment income. For the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, noninterest income totaled $3.7 million and $4.0 million, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to lower merchant services income in the current period due to the sale of our merchant business in the second quarter of 2017. Offsetting the decrease was higher service charges, fees and commissions due to the bank entering into an interest rate swap transaction during the third quarter of 2017, which resulted in the recognition of net fee income in the amount of $496 thousand. The interest rate swap allowed the bank to retain a large commercial credit relationship.

Noninterest expense increased $3.1 million or 8.6% to $38.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, from $35.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Salaries and employee benefits increased $3.1 million or 18.9% due to merit increases and continued investment in our expansion markets in the Lehigh Valley and King of Prussia. For the third quarter of 2017, noninterest expense increased to $12.5 million from $12.0 million for the same period in 2016, an increase of $463 thousand or 3.9%. Again, salaries and employee benefits were the key driver of the increase, $6.6 million for the third quarter of 2017 compared to $5.5 million for the comparable period in 2016, an increase of $1.1 million or 19.8%. As with the results for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the buildout of our expansion plan led to increases in salaries and employee benefit expense when comparing the two periods. The increase in salaries and employee benefits expense was partially offset by a decrease of $857 thousand or 96.3% in merchant services expense due to the sale of our merchant services portfolio during the second quarter of 2017.

BALANCE SHEET REVIEW

At September 30, 2017, total assets, loans and deposits were $2.1 billion, $1.6 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively. Loans, net grew $99.6 million or 8.7% annualized through nine months in 2017. Loans, net grew $110.1 million or 7.2% from September 30, 2016 to September 30, 2017. Deposits grew $99.1 million or 8.3% annualized through nine months in 2017. Total deposits grew $122.0 million or 7.8% from September 30, 2016 to September 30, 2017. Noninterest bearing deposits increased $18.5 million or 7.0% annualized while interest-bearing deposits increased $80.6 million or 8.7% annualized through nine months in 2017. Total investments were $268.7 million at September 30, 2017, including $259.1 million securities classified as available-for-sale and $9.6 million classified as held-to-maturity.

Stockholders' equity equaled $266.3 million or $36.00 per share at September 30, 2017, and $256.6 million or $34.71 per share at December 31, 2016. Tangible stockholders' equity improved to $26.97 per share at September 30, 2017, from $25.57 per share at December 31, 2016. Dividends declared for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 amounted to $0.94 per share representing a dividend payout ratio of 43.9%.

ASSET QUALITY REVIEW

Nonperforming assets were $13.6 million or 0.83% of loans, net and foreclosed assets at September 30, 2017, compared to $14.2 million or 0.93% of loans, net and foreclosed assets at December 31, 2016. The allowance for loan losses equaled $18.8 million or 1.15% of loans, net at September 30, 2017 compared to $16.0 million or 1.04% of loans, net, at December 31, 2016. Loans charged-off, net of recoveries, for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, equaled $730 thousand or 0.06% of average loans, compared to $863 thousand or 0.08% of average loans for the comparable period last year.

About Peoples:

Peoples Financial Services Corp. is the parent company of Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company, a community bank serving Bucks, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties in Pennsylvania and Broome County in New York through 27 offices. Each office, interdependent with the community, offers a comprehensive array of financial products and services to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations and government entities. Peoples' business philosophy includes offering direct access to senior management and other officers and providing friendly, informed and courteous service, local and timely decision making, flexible and reasonable operating procedures and consistently applied credit policies.

Safe Harbor Forward-Looking Statements:

We make statements in this press release, and we may from time to time make other statements regarding our outlook or expectations for future financial or operating results and/or other matters regarding or affecting Peoples Financial Services Corp., Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company, and its subsidiaries (collectively, "Peoples") that are considered "forward-looking statements" as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of such words as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "should," "planned," "estimated," "intend" and "potential." For these statements, Peoples claims the protection of the statutory safe harbors for forward-looking statements.

Peoples cautions you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated in any forward-looking statement. Such factors include, but are not limited to: prevailing economic and political conditions, particularly in our market area; credit risk associated with our lending activities; changes in interest rates, loan demand, real estate values and competition; changes in accounting principles, policies, and guidelines; changes in any applicable law, rule, regulation or practice with respect to tax or legal issues; our ability to identify and address cyber-security risks and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory and technological factors affecting Peoples' operations, pricing, products and services and other factors that may be described in Peoples' Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

In addition to these risks, acquisitions and business combinations, present risks other than those presented by the nature of the business acquired. Acquisitions and business combinations may be substantially more expensive to complete than originally anticipated, and the anticipated benefits may be significantly harder-or take longer-to achieve than expected. As regulated financial institutions, our pursuit of attractive acquisition and business combination opportunities could be negatively impacted by regulatory delays or other regulatory issues. Regulatory and/or legal issues related to the pre-acquisition operations of an acquired or combined business may cause reputational harm to Peoples following the acquisition or combination, and integration of the acquired or combined business with ours may result in additional future costs arising as a result of those issues.

 The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and, except as may be required by applicable law or regulation, Peoples assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

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