Back to top

Image: Bigstock

First Republic (FRC) Stock Up 2.5% Despite Q3 Earnings Miss

Read MoreHide Full Article

First Republic Bank’s third-quarter 2018 earnings per share came in at $1.19, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.20. However, the reported figure inched up 1.7% from the year-ago tally.

Shares of First Republic appreciated 2.5% post its third-quarter earnings release. Revenues improved from the prior-year quarter, backed by considerable rise in loans and deposit balances, and wealth management assets. However, despite rising rates, net interest margin disappointed on high deposit costs. Higher expenses and non-performing assets remained downsides.

Net income available to common shareholders for the reported quarter jumped 5.8% year over year to $196.4 million.

Revenues Increase, Expenses Flare Up

Net revenues in the Sep-end quarter came in at $768.8 million, up 14.7% year over year. Also, the reported figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $766 million.

First Republic’s net interest income jumped 15.2% year over year to $634.5 million, primarily supported by growth in average earnings assets. Nevertheless, net interest margin was 2.94%, down 15 basis points (bps) year over year.

Non-interest income came in at $134.4 million, up 12.6% year over year. The upswing was chiefly driven by higher wealth management revenues.

On the other hand, non-interest expenses flared up 15.7% year over year to $484 million. An increase in salaries and benefits, information systems, and other costs, which came in as the outcome of continued investments in the expansion of franchise, primarily led to this spike.

The efficiency ratio was 63% compared with 62.4% recorded in the prior-year quarter. It should be noted that a rise in the efficiency ratio indicates deterioration in profitability.

Healthy Balance Sheet

As of Sep 30, 2018, loans climbed to $72.3 billion, up 4.6% sequentially, while total deposits increased 2.7% from the previous-quarter end to $74.8 billion. Loan originations came in at $7 billion in the Jul-Sep quarter, down 24.8% from the previous-quarter level, mainly due to a decline in originations across all segments of loan portfolio.

First Republic’s total wealth management assets were $131 billion as of Sep 30, 2018, marking 8.1% growth from the last quarter. Wealth management assets included investment management assets, brokerage assets, money market mutual funds, and trust and custody assets. Notably, net new assets from existing and new clients led to this elevated level.

Credit Quality Deteriorates

Provision for loan losses surged 84.2% on a year-over-year basis to $18.6 million in the quarter under review.

In addition, on a year-over-year basis, total non-performing assets increased 12.3% year over year to approximately $42.6 million. Nonetheless, the non-performing assets to total assets ratio remained stable at 0.04%.

Capital Position

As of Sep 30, 2018, the company’s Tier 1 leverage ratio was 8.94%, indicating an expansion of 16 bps from the comparable period last year.

Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets was 12.14%, down from 12.27% witnessed in the prior-year quarter. Common equity Tier 1 ratio was 10.47% compared with 10.58% in the year-earlier quarter.

Tangible book value per share climbed 13.1% year over year to $44.

Conclusion

First Republic’s third-quarter results highlighted robust financials. The company’s efforts to maintain its organic growth momentum through new client acquisitions were backed by improvement in loans and deposits which boosted revenue performance. Nevertheless, investment in franchises resulted in elevated expenditure which may impede bottom-line growth in the quarters ahead. Also, the company’s shrinking net interest margin remains another key concern.

First Republic Bank Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

First Republic Bank Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

First Republic Bank price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | First Republic Bank Quote

First Republic currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Among other West banks, Zions Bancorporation (ZION - Free Report) and Bank of Hawaii Corporation (BOH - Free Report) are slated to release third-quarter 2018 results on Oct 22, while SVB Financial Group is scheduled to report its quarterly numbers on Oct 25.

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!

It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.

Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.

Click here for the 6 trades >>


Unique Zacks Analysis of Your Chosen Ticker


Pick one free report - opportunity may be withdrawn at any time


Zions Bancorporation, N.A. (ZION) - $25 value - yours FREE >>

Bank of Hawaii Corporation (BOH) - $25 value - yours FREE >>

Published in