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EVANS BANCORP INC (EVBN)·Q2 2024 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Net income rose 26% sequentially to $2.95 million ($0.53 diluted EPS) on higher net interest income and lower expenses; ROE improved to 6.76% and ROA to 0.52% . Net interest margin was 2.71%, modestly down 8 bps QoQ but explicitly “above expectations” due to balance sheet optimization and deposit pricing strategy; efficiency ratio improved to 75.11% from 79.92% .
- Year-over-year, earnings declined versus Q2 2023 ($4.93 million, $0.90 EPS) as deposit competition lifted funding costs; noninterest income fell after divesting The Evans Agency (TEA) in Nov-2023; NIM down 39 bps YoY and efficiency ratio worsened vs 2Q23 .
- Commercial loan momentum accelerated: loans +$43 million YTD and +$94 million YoY; strong pipeline at $137 million with origination yields ~7.5% on term loans and prime-plus on lines; total deposits +10% YTD to $1.89 billion, aided by brokered CDs and municipal inflows .
- Guidance: management expects NIM to trough at ~2.68% in Q3 2024 before slowly improving in Q4 and 2025; 2024 bank-only operating expenses to decline 1–2% YoY; tax rate ~22.5% . Consensus estimates via S&P Global were unavailable for EVBN; we attempted retrieval but no mapping was found.
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Net interest margin outperformed internal expectations: “Second quarter net interest margin of 2.71% was above expectations due to balance sheet adjustments in the first quarter and ongoing deposit pricing strategy” .
- Strong loan production and pipeline: “Total loan balances of $1.77 billion increased $43 million YTD… Strong loan pipeline of $137 million,” with commercial and industrial momentum; management added two C&I RMs in Rochester to drive growth .
- Disciplined expense control: noninterest expenses fell 3% QoQ and 11% YoY; efficiency ratio improved to 75.11% QoQ; salaries and benefits down 6% QoQ and 15% YoY (post-TEA sale) .
What Went Wrong
- Funding costs remain elevated: cost of interest-bearing liabilities rose to 3.27% (vs 3.04% in Q1 and 2.18% YoY), compressing NIM by 8 bps QoQ and 39 bps YoY .
- Noninterest income lower YoY after TEA divestiture: total noninterest income $2.40 million vs $4.70 million last year; insurance service & fee revenue declined $2.5 million YoY, partially offset by higher other income .
- EPS and net income down YoY: Q2 2024 $0.53 EPS vs $0.90 in Q2 2023; net income $2.95 million vs $4.93 million, reflecting higher interest expense and TEA sale impact .
Financial Results
Segment/Rate Drivers
KPIs and Balance Sheet
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- CEO on performance and margin: “Strong performance… growth in core banking… resulted in a net interest margin that exceeded expectations. Additionally, disciplined expense management contributed to the 26% increase in net income on a sequential basis.”
- CFO on NIM path: “We anticipate our NIM to come down a few basis points to approximately 2.68% in the third quarter of 2024… margins start to improve slowly in the fourth quarter and next year.”
- CFO on loan yields and deposit strategy: “Longer-term commercial and commercial real estate are going somewhere in the 7.5% and above… CDs ~4.5% seems competitive, and we’re holding that liquidity.”
- CFO on expenses: “Our expectation for the bank-only 2024 year expense… is a decrease between 1% and 2%.”
- CFO on tax rate: “22.5% is a good go-forward tax rate.”
Q&A Highlights
- Origination yields: Term loans ~7.25–7.5% and C&I “better than prime”; variable-rate portfolio ~$300 million .
- Deposit dynamics: Municipal seasonality expected with low points in September and December; CD offers ~4.5% vs 5%+ in market earlier; competition easing .
- NIM vs potential Fed cuts: A 25 bps cut likely neutral; impact depends on local pricing by larger regional competitors .
- Fee run-rate: “Other” line slightly elevated but not significantly; wealth management fees embedded in insurance line .
- Credit update: OREO is a hotel asset; sale pending to strong operators with no expected loss; NPL decline driven by classification change .
Estimates Context
- Wall Street consensus estimates via S&P Global could not be retrieved for EVBN due to missing mapping; therefore, beats/misses vs consensus are not available. We attempted to fetch EPS and revenue estimates for Q2/Q1/Q3 2024 but no CIQ mapping was found for EVBN in the SPGI dataset.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Sequential improvement was driven by higher net interest income and lower expenses; NIM of 2.71% was above internal expectations—this positive surprise is a near-term support for sentiment .
- Funding costs remain the key headwind, though management reports decelerating increases and easing competitive pricing—CD offers now ~4.5% vs ≥5% last quarter, pointing to stabilizing margins into Q4 .
- Commercial loan momentum is robust (pipeline $137M) with attractive yields; Rochester expansion adds capacity—supports mid-single-digit loan growth in 2024 and asset-side revenue resilience .
- Expense discipline continues; 2024 bank-only OpEx targeted to decline 1–2% YoY, bolstering operating leverage despite NIM compression .
- Credit quality remains solid; NPLs/loans fell to 1.42%, OREO sale expected without loss; net charge-offs minimal—limits downside risk from asset quality .
- Capital position is strong (Tier 1 leverage 10.04%); management prioritizes supporting dividend and selective buybacks while funding growth—balanced capital allocation .
- Near-term trading implication: stock may respond to confirmation of NIM trough in Q3 and signs of deposit cost moderation; medium-term thesis centers on asset repricing, controlled costs, and loan growth to lift ROE gradually back toward pre-pressure levels .