First Bancorp (FBNC) Reports Q4 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say

FBNC

For the quarter ended December 2023, First Bancorp (FBNC - Free Report) reported revenue of $97.03 million, down 1.9% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.72, compared to $1.08 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -2.61% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $99.63 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.66, the EPS surprise was +9.09%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how First Bancorp performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

  • Net Interest Margin [%]: 2.9% versus 2.9% estimated by three analysts on average.
  • Average Interest-Earning Assets: $11.48 billion versus the two-analyst average estimate of $11.38 billion.
  • Net Charge-offs: 0.1% versus the two-analyst average estimate of 0.1%.
  • Total Non Interest Income: $14.54 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $15.26 million.
  • Other service charges, commissions and fees: $4.97 million compared to the $5.80 million average estimate based on two analysts.
  • Service charges on deposit accounts: $4.41 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $4.88 million.
  • Bank-Owned Life Insurance Income: $1.13 million versus $1.06 million estimated by two analysts on average.
  • Commissions from sales of insurance and financial products: $1.58 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $1.20 million.
View all Key Company Metrics for First Bancorp here>>>

Shares of First Bancorp have returned -7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.

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