Business
Flushing Financial Corporation Reports 4Q21 GAAP EPS of $0.58 and Core EPS of $0.67
Record GAAP and Core EPS for 2021 John R. Buran, President and CEO Commentary UNIONDALE, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Company reported fourth
About this update from Flushing Financial Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"Record GAAP and Core EPS for 2021 John R. Buran, President and CEO Commentary UNIONDALE, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Company reported fourth quarter 2021 GAAP EPS of $0.58, up 427% YoY, ROAA of 0.89%, and ROAE of 10.77%. For the fourth quarter, Core EPS of $0.67 increased, 16% YoY with ROAA of 1.04% and ROAE of 12.49%. Record GAAP and Core EPS for 2021 of $2.59 and $2.81, respectively. “2021 was a record year for earnings but it was also a challenging year for employees dealing with the pandemic and a new working environment. Our people continued to tirelessly navigate these challenges, as they supported and served customers, and masterfully executed our strategic objectives. Our employees are our competitive advantage. As a reward for our record year of earnings and employee performance through the pandemic, the Company recorded a one-time increase in compensation and benefits of $4.3 million for all employees. We are looking forward to an exciting year in 2022.”- John R. Buran, President and CEO Slight NIM Compression QoQ; Loan Growth Returns. Net interest income of $62.7 million increased 12.5% YoY, but declined 1.1% QoQ. NIM expanded 21 bps to 3.29% YoY, but declined 5 bps from 3Q21. Core NIM increased by 18 bps to 3.21% YoY and compressed 6 bps QoQ. The decline in the NIM QoQ was primarily due to an unfavorable shift in balance sheet mix with high levels of interest-earning deposits and federal funds sold, which was fully deployed by the end of the year. Loans, excluding SBA Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), increased 3.7% annualized in 4Q21 and loan closings were up 49% QoQ. Our loan pipeline, which grew 21% YoY, declined 19% QoQ from the record 3Q21 level of $530.7 million. With the yield curve steepening and the Federal Reserve expected to increase short-term rates, we expect refinance volumes will slow in 2022. Additionally, we continue to benefit from the merger disruption in our markets as we have hired 24 people (including 9 revenue producers) in 2021 from institutions involved with mergers. We are looking forward to additional expansion opportunities in 2022. Returned 56% of Earnings in 4Q21; Capital Ratios Increase. The Company repurchased 150,976 shares of common stock at an average price of $23.75. Cash returned to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases was 56% of earnings in 4Q21...