Hancock Whitney reports fourth quarter 2019 EPS of $1.03

GULFPORT, Miss., Jan. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hancock Whitney Corporation (Nasdaq: HWC) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2019. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $92.1 million, or $1.03 per diluted common share (EPS), compared to $67.8 million, or $.77 EPS, in the third quarter of 2019 and $96.2 million, or $1.10 EPS, in the fourth quarter of 2018. The fourth quarter of 2019 included $3.9 million ($.03 per share impact) of final merger costs associated with the September 21, 2019 acquisition of MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. The third quarter of 2019 included $28.8 million ($.26 per share impact) of merger costs associated with the MidSouth acquisition, and the fourth quarter of 2018 included $1.9 million ($.02 per share after-tax impact) of nonoperating items.Highlights of the company’s fourth quarter 2019 results (compared to third quarter 2019):Reported net income of $92.1 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, up $24.3 million, or $.26 per shareNonoperating items totaled $3.9 million in 4Q19 and $28.8 million in 3Q19Excluding nonoperating items noted above, EPS was $1.06 in 4Q19 and $1.03 in 3Q19Operating leverage increased $0.6 million linked-quarter (revenue up $9.8 million, operating expense up $9.2 million)Energy loans decreased $71 million to $963 million, or 4.5% of total loansCriticized commercial loans declined $79 million, or 12% ($21 million energy, $58 million nonenergy)NIM improved by 2 bps to 3.43%TCE ratio down 37 bps to 8.45%; decrease mainly related to the accelerated share repurchase (ASR) agreement announced October 21, 2019“We ended 2019 on a positive note, beating expectations with solid results,” said John M. Hairston, President & CEO. “EPS excluding merger costs was up 3% linked-quarter, our operating leverage increased quarter-to-quarter, loan growth was in line with guidance despite a reduction in our energy portfolio of over $70 million, our criticized loans decreased, our NIM expanded and our capital levels remained strong – even with the repurchase of shares in the quarter. As we kick off 2020, our team is focused on building upon positive momentum while capitalizing upon opportunities available in our markets.”Loans
Total loans at December 31, 2019 were $21.2 billion, up approximately $177 million, or 1%, linked-quarter. Included in net growth total was a reduction of $71 million in energy credits total. Year-over-year growth was in line with guidance, with end of period loans growing by $1.2 billion, or 6%, while average loans grew by $1.0 billion, or 5%.Average loans totaled $21.0 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019, up $841 million, or 4%, linked-quarter. The increase reflects the full quarter impact from MidSouth.At December 31, 2019, loans to the energy industry totaled $963 million, or 4.5% of total loans. The linked-quarter change reflects $108 million in net reductions, partially offset by $36 million in fundings. The portfolio is comprised of credits to both the exploration and production (E&P) subsector and the support services subsector. See slide presentation for additional energy details.Deposits
Total deposits at December 31, 2019 were $23.8 billion, down $398 million, or 2%, from September 30, 2019. A paydown of brokered time deposits was the primary driver of the decrease from September 30, 2019.Noninterest-bearing demand deposits (DDAs) totaled $8.8 billion at December 31, 2019, up $89 million, or 1%, from September 30, 2019 and comprised 37% of total period-end deposits at December 31, 2019.Interest-bearing transaction and savings deposits totaled $8.8 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, up $86 million, or 1%, from September 30, 2019. Compared to September 30, 2019, time deposits of $2.8 billion were down $983 million, or 26%, primarily due to the paydown of brokered CDs. The decrease in time deposits reflects a decrease in brokered CDs of $876 million and a decrease of $106 million in retail CDs. As part of our portfolio management, we replaced brokered CDs at a rate of 2.40% with FHLB advances at a cost of 1.68%.Interest-bearing public fund deposits increased $409 million, or 14%, to $3.4 billion. The increase in public funds is seasonal and primarily related to year-end tax payments collected by local municipalities. Typically, these balances begin to runoff in the first quarter of each year.Average deposits for the fourth quarter of 2019 were $23.8 billion, up $757 million, or 3%, linked-quarter. The increase reflects the full quarter impact from MidSouth.Asset Quality
Nonperforming assets (NPAs) totaled $337.5 million at December 31, 2019, up $22.8 million, or 7%, from September 30, 2019. Accruing energy TDRs remained virtually unchanged linked-quarter. During the fourth quarter of 2019, total nonperforming loans increased approximately $23.3 million, while foreclosed and surplus real estate (ORE) and other foreclosed assets decreased approximately $0.6 million. Nonperforming assets as a percent of total loans, ORE and other foreclosed assets was 1.59% at December 31, 2019, up 10 bps from September 30, 2019.The total allowance for credit losses (ACL) was $195.2 million at December 31, 2019, down $0.3 million from September 30, 2019. The allowance for credits in the energy portfolio totaled $34.9 million, or 3.29% of funded energy loans, at December 31, 2019, up $2.9 million from September 30, 2019. The allowance for credits in the nonenergy portfolio totaled $160.3 million, or 0.79% of funded nonenergy loans, at December 31, 2019, down $3.3 million from $163.6 million, or 0.82% of nonenergy loans, at September 30, 2019. The ratio of the allowance (ALLL) to period-end loans was 0.90% at December 31, 2019, down 3 bps from 0.93% at September 30, 2019.Net charge-offs were $9.5 million, or 0.18% of average total loans on an annualized basis in the fourth quarter of 2019, down from $12.5 million, or 0.25% of average total loans in the third quarter of 2019. There were no energy charge-offs in the fourth quarter of 2019. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the company recorded a total provision for credit losses of $9.2 million, down from $12.4 million in the third quarter of 2019.Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin (NIM)
Net interest income (TE) for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $236.7 million, up $10.1 million from the third quarter of 2019. The net interest margin (TE) was 3.43% for the fourth quarter of 2019, up 2 bps from the third quarter of 2019. The improvement in net interest income was primarily due to higher average earning assets mainly due to the MidSouth acquisition and lower cost of funds. The 2 bps increase in the net interest margin was attributable to the impact of a full quarter of MidSouth (+5 bps), accretion related to the MidSouth transaction (+6 bps), mostly offset by the lack of interest recoveries compared to last quarter (-6 bps), and the impact of the Federal Reserve rate cuts (-4 bps). The impact from a change in the earning asset mix (-2 bps), and a change in the borrowing mix (+3 bps) helped drive the NIM expansion in the quarter. The decline in the cost of funds reflects a proactive move by the company in lowering deposit costs.Average earning assets were $27.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019, up $1.0 billion, or 4%, from the third quarter of 2019.Noninterest Income
Noninterest income totaled $82.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, down $0.3 million, or less than 1%, from the third quarter of 2019.Service charges on deposits totaled $23.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, up $1.5 million, or 7%, from the third quarter of 2019. Bank card and ATM fees totaled $17.9 million, up $0.8 million, or 4%, from the third quarter of 2019. The increase from the third quarter is primarily due to the impact from MidSouth.Trust fees totaled $15.5 million, up $0.4 million, or 3%, linked-quarter. Investment and annuity income and insurance fees totaled $6.4 million, down $0.6 million, or 9%, linked-quarter. Fees from secondary mortgage operations totaled $6.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, up $0.3 million, or 5%, linked-quarter. The favorable rate environment was the primarily driver of the linked-quarter increase.Other noninterest income totaled $13.8 million, down $2.6 million, or 16%, from the third quarter of 2019. The decrease in other noninterest income is primarily due to declines in specialty income.Noninterest Expense & Taxes
Noninterest expense totaled $197.9 million, down $15.7 million, or 7%, linked-quarter. Total expense included $3.9 million of merger costs related to the acquisition of MidSouth. There were $28.8 million of MidSouth merger-related expenses in the third quarter of 2019. Operating expense totaled $194.0 million, up $9.3 million, or 5%, from the third quarter of 2019. The expense detail below excludes merger costs.Total personnel expense was $114.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, up $7.1 million, or 7%, from the third quarter of 2019. Approximately half of the increase was related to the impact from MidSouth operations, with the remainder related to incentive pay and benefits.Occupancy and equipment expense totaled $17.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, virtually unchanged from the third quarter of 2019.Amortization of intangibles totaled $5.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, up $0.9 million, or 18%, linked-quarter.Gains on ORE dispositions exceeded ORE expense by $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to ORE expense of $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2019.Other operating expense totaled $57.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, up $4.0 million, or 7%, from the third quarter of 2019. The increase is primarily due to expenses related to the MidSouth acquisition.The effective income tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2019 was 16%. Management expects the tax rate in the first quarter of 2020 to approximate 18-19%. The effective income tax rate continues to be less than the statutory rate due primarily to tax-exempt income and tax credits.Capital
Common shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2019 totaled $3.5 billion, down $119 million, or 3%, from September 30, 2019. The tangible common equity (TCE) ratio was 8.45%, down 37 bps from September 30, 2019. Capital levels reflect the accelerated share repurchase announced October 21, 2019. Hancock Whitney made a $185 million payment to Morgan Stanley for approximately 5 million shares, and on the same day, received initial delivery of approximately 3.6 million shares of our common stock. The actual number of shares to be delivered to the company in this ASR transaction will be based generally on the volume-weighted average price per share of the Hancock Whitney common stock during the term of the ASR agreement less a specified discount, subject to possible adjustments in accordance with the terms of the ASR agreement. Additional capital ratios are included in the financial tables.Conference Call and Slide Presentation
Management will host a conference call for analysts and investors at 8:30 a.m. Central Time on Thursday, January 16, 2020 to review the results. A live listen-only webcast of the call will be available under the Investor Relations section of Hancock Whitney’s website at www.hancockwhitney.com/investors. A link to the release with additional financial tables, and a link to a slide presentation related to fourth quarter results are also posted as part of the webcast link. To participate in the Q&A portion of the call, dial (877) 564-1219 or (973) 638-3429. An audio archive of the conference call will be available under the Investor Relations section of our website. A replay of the call will also be available through January 23, 2020 by dialing (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406, passcode 4546619. About Hancock Whitney
Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; certain insurance services; and mortgage services. The company also operates a loan production office in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as trust and asset management offices in New Jersey and New York. BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation’s leading independent bank rating and analysis firm, consistently recommends Hancock Whitney as one of America’s most financially sound banks. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com.Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This news release includes non-GAAP financial measures to describe Hancock Whitney’s performance. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered alternatives to GAAP-basis financial statements, and other bank holding companies may define or calculate these non-GAAP measures or similar measures differently. The reconciliations of those measures to GAAP measures are provided either in the financial tables or in Appendix A thereto.Consistent with Securities and Exchange Commission Industry Guide 3, the company presents net interest income, net interest margin and efficiency ratios on a fully taxable equivalent (“TE”) basis. The TE basis adjusts for the tax-favored status of net interest income from certain loans and investments using the statutory federal tax rate to increase tax-exempt interest income to a taxable equivalent basis. The company believes this measure to be the preferred industry measurement of net interest income and it enhances comparability of net interest income arising from taxable and tax-exempt sources.The company presents certain additional non-GAAP financial measures to assist the reader with a better understanding of the company’s performance period over period, as well as to provide investors with assistance in understanding the success management has experienced in executing its strategic initiatives. These non-GAAP measures may reference the concepts “core” or “operating.” The company uses the term “core” to describe a financial measure that excludes income or expense arising from accretion or amortization of fair value adjustments recorded as part of purchase accounting. The company uses the term “operating” to describe a financial measure that excludes income or expense considered to be nonoperating in nature. Items identified as nonoperating are those that, when excluded from a reported financial measure, provide management or the reader with a measure that may be more indicative of forward-looking trends in the company’s business.Important Cautionary Statement About Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements that we may make include statements regarding our expectations regarding our performance and financial condition, balance sheet and revenue growth, the provision for credit losses, loan growth expectations, management’s predictions about charge-offs for loans, including energy-related credits, the impact of changes in oil and gas prices on our energy portfolio, the adequacy of our enterprise risk management framework, the impact of the trust and asset management acquisition, MidSouth acquisition, or future business combinations on our performance and financial condition, including our ability to successfully integrate the businesses, success of revenue-generating initiatives, the effectiveness of derivative financial instruments and hedging activities to manage risks, projected tax rates, increased cybersecurity risks, including potential business disruptions or financial losses, the adequacy of our internal controls over financial reporting, the financial impact of regulatory requirements and tax reform legislation, the impact of the change in the LIBOR benchmark, deposit trends, credit quality trends, changes in interest rates, net interest margin trends, future expense levels, future profitability, improvements in expense to revenue (efficiency) ratio, purchase accounting impacts, accretion levels and expected returns. Also, any statement that does not describe historical or current facts is a forward-looking statement. These statements often include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “forecast,” “goals,” “targets,” “initiatives,” “focus,” “potentially,” “probably,” “projects,” “outlook”, or similar expressions or future conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” and “could.” Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and on information currently available to management. Our statements speak as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update these statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those contained in such statements in light of new information or future events.Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking statement made in this release is subject to the safe harbor protections set forth in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and in other periodic reports that we file with the SEC.
For more information
Trisha Voltz Carlson, EVP, Investor Relations Manager
504.299.5208 or trisha.carlson@hancockwhitney.com