BI
BankUnited, Inc. (BKU)·Q1 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q1 2025 delivered stable profitability with diluted EPS of $0.78, slightly above consensus, while “Revenue” (S&P-defined as net interest income after provision + non-interest income) missed as NIM compressed 3 bps to 2.81% due to hedge roll-off and lower floating-rate coupons . EPS beat of ~$0.02 vs $0.76 consensus; “Revenue” missed by ~$$23.27MM (~8.8%) vs consensus* .
- Funding remix progressed: NIDDA rose $453MM to 29% of deposits, non-brokered deposits +$719MM; wholesale funding down $1.1B; loan-to-deposit ratio fell to 85.5% (from 87.2%) .
- Credit trends normalized: annualized net charge-offs 0.33%; ACL-to-loans steady at 0.92%; NPLs ticked up to 1.08% (one office loan previously drove NPL increase in Q4) .
- Guidance unchanged: management still targets NIM expansion through year (path to ~3% by YE 2025), maintains mid-single-digit expense growth, and pauses buybacks given macro uncertainty; dividend raised 7% to $0.31 .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Deposit mix improvement and funding costs down: average cost of total deposits fell 14 bps QoQ to 2.58%; spot APY down to 2.52% (from 2.63%) .
- NIDDA strength and wholesale funding reduction: NIDDA +$453MM to 29% of deposits; wholesale funding (FHLB + brokered) down $1.1B, lowering funding risk and cost .
- Management reaffirmed margin expansion narrative despite rate volatility: “We’re not changing our guidance… loan growth, deposit growth, margin, expenses…” and path to ~3% NIM by YE 2025 .
Selected quotes:
- CEO: “We’re happy to start the year on a strong note, and remain fairly optimistic…” .
- CFO: “Without [hedge expiration], the NIM would have been flat” (3 bps impact) .
- CEO: “We’re not changing our guidance… the cone of uncertainty is much bigger” .
What Went Wrong
- Net interest income down and NIM compressed: NII fell $6.1MM QoQ; NIM down 3 bps to 2.81% due to hedge roll-off and floating-rate resets .
- Loans contracted: total loans -$308MM QoQ; core CRE/C&I -$106MM amid seasonal slowdown, high payoffs, and selective exits; residential and franchise/equipment/municipal collectively -$196MM .
- Credit normalization: annualized NCOs rose to 0.33% (TTM 0.24%), slight uptick in NPLs to 1.08%; provision increased to $15.1MM .
Financial Results
Headline Trend (oldest → newest)
Note: “Revenue” values retrieved from S&P Global.*
Q1 2025 Actual vs Wall Street Consensus (S&P Global)
Note: Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
Balance Sheet & Funding KPIs (oldest → newest)
Loan Portfolio Composition
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- CEO strategic tone: “We’re happy to start the year on a strong note, and remain fairly optimistic…” . “We’re not changing our guidance… loan growth, deposit growth, margin, expenses…” . “We are as prepared as anyone… more liquidity than we’ve ever had” .
- CFO on NIM drivers: “Some cash flow hedges expired… had a 3 bps impact… without that, the NIM would have been flat” . “Average yield on loans declined from 5.60 to 5.48; securities from 5.31 to 5.07” .
- COO on credit/portfolio: Office portfolio ~$1.7B; medical office ~20%; office charge-offs since 2020 total $16.2MM ($7.9MM this quarter) .
Q&A Highlights
- Margin outlook and NII: Management expects margin expansion over the remainder of 2025 driven by mix-shift on both sides (higher-yielding core commercial loans; lower-cost deposits); target remains ~3% by YE; avoids quarter-specific guide .
- Competitive dynamics: CRE spreads tightened in Q1; pipeline spreads improving; C&I spreads steady; securities spreads widened .
- Credit & reserves: Migration between categories is “normal”; qualitative reserves increased to cover “wider cone of uncertainty”; April Moody’s scenario covered by existing overlays .
- Capital return: Buybacks paused given uncertainty; dividend increased; management will reassess quarterly .
- Exposure checks: No Florida condo market exposure ; brokered deposits down ~$528MM QoQ (to ~$4.7B) .
Estimates Context
- EPS: Q1 2025 diluted EPS $0.78 vs consensus $0.76333 → small beat; management noted consensus ~$0.76 . Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
- “Revenue”: Q1 2025 $240.30MM vs consensus $263.57MM → miss of
$$23.27MM (-8.8%); driven by lower asset yields and hedge expiration impacting NIM* . Values retrieved from S&P Global.* - Trailing quarters: Q4 2024 EPS $0.91 vs $0.73–$0.73 consensus; “Revenue” $253.46MM vs $261.71MM consensus (miss)* . Q3 2024 EPS $0.81 vs $0.73 consensus; “Revenue” $247.77MM vs $260.87MM consensus (miss)* .
- Implication: Consensus may need modest downward adjustments to “Revenue” if rate resets persist; EPS resilience depends on deposit remix and loan growth pull-through.*
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Funding remix is the core catalyst: NIDDA mix improvement and wholesale funding reductions are lowering costs and providing margin tailwinds into Q2–Q4; expect stronger deposit benefit in Q2 as NIDDA growth occurred late in Q1 .
- Margin path intact despite near-term headwinds: 3 bps NIM compression tied to hedge roll-off; guidance to ~3% YE remains, contingent on continued mix-shift and rate curve dynamics .
- Credit normalizing but contained: Higher annualized NCOs and slight NPL uptick offset by stable ACL/loans and robust office portfolio metrics (LTV ~64.5% in office; DSCR ~1.58) .
- Capital and liquidity are strong: CET1 12.2%, TCE/TA 8.1%, same-day liquidity ~$15.6B; dividend raised to $0.31; buybacks on hold—income return anchored in dividend while remix progresses .
- Loan outlook: Q1 seasonally soft with payoffs; pipelines robust across core; watch pull-through amid macro/tariffs; expect loan growth to recover in Q2–Q4 .
- Trading setup: Near-term—neutral to constructive given EPS resilience vs “Revenue” miss; monitor NIM expansion signals (deposit costs, spreads, curve). Medium-term—margin expansion and funding remix support valuation as credit remains manageable .
- Risk checks: Rate-volatility remains primary near-term risk; management prioritizing neutral rate positioning; CRE office concentrations benchmark below peer median; no Florida condo exposure .
Additional sources read:
- Q1 2025 earnings press release and 8-K exhibits .
- Q1 2025 earnings call transcript .
- Q4 2024 and Q3 2024 press releases for trend analysis .
- Q1 2025 related press releases (dividend increase; scheduling; management appointment) .
Note: “Revenue” consensus/actual figures and EPS consensus values retrieved from S&P Global.*