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Amalgamated Financial Corp. (AMAL)·Q1 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Core diluted EPS of $0.88 vs S&P Global consensus $0.80; GAAP diluted EPS $0.81. Core EPS beat by $0.08; revenue of ~$76.4M came in modestly below the ~$77.4M consensus. Bold: EPS beat, revenue slight miss [Values retrieved from S&P Global]*. Reported results: net income $25.0M, core net income $27.1M; net interest margin 3.55% .
- Deposits rebuilt post-election: total deposits +$446M including off-balance sheet; political deposits +$103M to ~$1.1B; short-term borrowings paid down; liquidity strong at ~$3.6B two-day coverage; CET1 14.27% and TCE ratio 8.73% .
- Guidance maintained: FY25 net interest income $293–$297M; core pre-tax pre-provision earnings $159–$163M; Q2 targets include NIM expansion +2–4 bps and NII $72–$74M; YE balance sheet growth ~3%; core efficiency outer band ~52%; Tier 1 leverage baseline 9% .
- Capital return accelerating: $3.5M buybacks in Q1, new $40M authorization, dividend increased to $0.14/share; management expects to be opportunistic with repurchases while keeping Tier 1 leverage ≥9% .
- Near-term stock catalysts: sustained deposit inflows and buyback execution vs. watchpoints from rising nonperforming assets (one $8.3M C&I loan to nonaccrual) and consumer solar/small business charge-offs; digital transformation spend temporarily elevates core efficiency ratio .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Deposit momentum and liquidity: total deposits +$445.9M including off-balance sheet; political deposits +$102.7M to ~$1.1B; two-day liquidity ~$3.6B covering ~94% of uninsured deposits. CEO: “All of our key earnings metrics came in strong and as expected…our balance sheet boasts…high levels of immediate and two-day liquidity” .
- Margin resilience and guidance credibility: NIM 3.55% within 1 bp of prior guidance; NII $70.6M landed mid-range; management reaffirmed FY25 outlook, projecting modest NIM expansion through year .
- Capital and tangible book compounding: CET1 14.27%, Tier 1 leverage 9.22%; tangible book value per share up 4% QoQ to $23.51; 10th consecutive quarter of TCE ratio improvement .
What Went Wrong
- Earnings pressure in expected trough: NII declined $2.5M QoQ; NIM contracted 4 bps; core operating revenue down ~$2.9M QoQ due to liability remix and lower ICS/non-core items .
- Asset quality mixed: nonperforming assets rose to $33.9M (0.41% of assets), driven by an $8.3M C&I nonaccrual; net charge-offs included ~$1.7M in consumer solar and ~$0.8M in small business C&I .
- Elevated core efficiency near “outer band”: core non-interest expense rose on $2.1M higher professional fees tied to digital deployment; core efficiency ratio deteriorated to 52.11% .
Financial Results
Estimates vs. actual (S&P Global):
Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
Segment breakdown – Loans held for investment:
Key KPIs vs prior periods:
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- CEO: “All of our key earnings metrics came in strong and as expected…our balance sheet boasts a low-risk asset profile…high levels of immediate and two-day liquidity, and return metrics near the top of our peer stack” .
- CFO: “We are maintaining our full year 2025 guidance of core pretax pre-provision earnings of $159–$163M, and net interest income of $293–$297M…we expect our net interest margin to increase modestly through the remainder of the year” .
- Chief Banking Officer: Political deposits are replenishing consistent with historical patterns; deposit inflows diversified across sectors .
- CFO on buybacks: “We’ve modeled a fairly aggressive repurchase program…capital ratios not really getting below a 9.20 level…comfortable with my 9% threshold” .
Q&A Highlights
- Clean energy funding outlook: No signs of funding drying up; demand for electricity and investment remains robust; non-partisan geographic strength cited .
- Buyback strategy and capital floor: New $40M authorization; intention to be aggressive; Tier 1 leverage to remain ≥9% with modeled repurchase program .
- Political deposit pipeline: Rebuild underway with double-digit growth across categories; additional ~$300M early in Q2 noted but cautioned not to extrapolate .
- Off-balance sheet approach: Prescriptive use to reach ~$8.4B balance sheet target first, then utilize off-balance sheet for excess flow to manage NII and NIM trajectory .
- Expense and digital transformation: Professional fees tied to CRM/deployment; expenses to ramp toward ~$170M in 2025 while maintaining core efficiency band around 52% .
Estimates Context
- Q1 2025 primary EPS of $0.88 vs consensus $0.80, a $0.08 beat; revenue ~$76.4M vs consensus ~$77.4M, a ~$1.0M miss [Values retrieved from S&P Global]*.
- Drivers of the beat/miss: Provision expense declined to $0.6M (from $3.7M) and non-interest items included a $0.8M valuation gain on residential loans, offset by lower non-core ICS fees and solar tax equity income; NII declined as expected with liability remix and rate resets .
- Implications: Street may lift EPS estimates modestly on deposit momentum and NIM stability, while trimming revenue lines for lower transaction-related fees amid post-election normalization .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Deposit franchise strength is intact and a near-term catalyst: broad-based inflows, political rebuild, and strategic off-balance sheet usage support NII/NIM targets .
- Capital return is stepping up: $40M buyback authorization and higher dividend create downside support; management willing to be opportunistic while preserving Tier 1 leverage ≥9% .
- Watch asset quality: NPA uptick (0.41%) and a single $8.3M C&I nonaccrual; consumer solar and small business charge-offs bear monitoring as macro uncertainty persists .
- Margin path looks modestly positive: NIM guide +2–4 bps in Q2 and modest expansion through 2025 contingent on deposit trajectory and disciplined remix .
- Digital transformation spend is an Opex headwind near term; efficiency should improve as NII ramps and deployments begin to depreciate through P&L .
- C-PACE pipeline and clean energy lending remain a growth lever with attractive yield/credit profile; partnership execution (Allectrify) supports origination scalability in 2H .
- Trading lens: Near term, stock may respond to buyback cadence and deposit updates; medium term, thesis hinges on delivering FY25 guidance amid stable NIM and manageable credit normalization .
Notes: Non-GAAP metrics (core EPS/revenue/efficiency) reconciled in filings . Dividend declaration: $0.14 per share payable May 22, 2025 . Share repurchases: ~$105K shares ($3.5M) in Q1; new $40M program with ~75K shares repurchased through April 22 .