CSTR - CapStar Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CapStar Financial Holdings, Inc. (“CapStar”) (NASDAQ:CSTR) today reported net income of $12.1 million or $0.54 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, compared with net income of $11.0 million or $0.50 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, and net income of $6.2 million or $0.34 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Annualized return on average assets and return on average equity for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 were 1.57 percent and 13.50 percent, respectively. Second quarter 2021 noninterest expense included $256,000 in acquisition related costs.

For the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company reported net income of $23.1 million or $1.04 per diluted share, compared with $7.5 million or $0.41 per diluted share, for the same period of 2020. Year to date 2021 annualized return on average assets and return on average equity were 1.51 percent and 13.13 percent, respectively. Year to date 2021 noninterest expense included $323,000 in acquisition related costs.

“Our second quarter results reflect strong, profitable growth resulting from the hard work of our dedicated employees.  As we continue to execute on our strategic plan, we are enhancing profitability and accelerating in-market revenue growth while maintaining outstanding credit quality and customer service,” said Timothy K. Schools, President and Chief Executive Officer of CapStar. “The highlights of the second quarter include record noninterest bearing and total deposit balances; loan production, loan balances, and loan pipeline; earnings per share; book value per share; stock price; and market capitalization. Additionally, our criticized and classified loans as a percentage of total loans and classified loans to total risk-based capital ratios are returning to more traditional pre-pandemic levels. Our results benefited from increased PPP forgiveness and while these earnings are temporary in nature, they represent the tremendous effort and customer service provided by our teammates during the pandemic and are reflective of the Company’s capabilities. Looking forward, we are excited and optimistic about the many opportunities we have to expand our highly responsive and customer centric banking model across Tennessee, cited in a recent CNBC study as having our nation’s second best economy and as the fifth best place for business among all fifty states. With four Tennessee-based, $1 billion and greater financial institutions being acquired within our markets over the past twelve months, CapStar is poised to become one of Tennessee’s leading locally-based banks.”

Revenue

Total revenue, defined as net interest income plus noninterest income, increased $0.7 million to $32.9 million from the prior quarter. Net interest income totaled $23.0 million, an increase of $0.9 million compared to the first quarter of 2021, principally from income related to increased forgiveness of PPP loans. Second quarter 2021 noninterest income totaled $9.9 million, a decline of $131,000 from the prior quarter.

Second quarter 2021 average earning assets of $2.85 billion remained essentially unchanged from first quarter 2021, as strong growth in loans held for investment offset declines in low-yielding interest earning cash and PPP balances. Average loans held for investment, excluding PPP balances, increased $40.8 million from the prior quarter, or 9.4 percent linked-quarter annualized. Loan growth accelerated during the second quarter of 2021 with end of period loans held for investment, excluding PPP balances, increasing $67.6 million, or 15.7 percent linked-quarter annualized. Due to a significant increase in deposits over the past year, average loans as a percentage of average earning assets was 68.4 percent for second quarter 2021. The Company’s commercial loan pipeline is at a record level, approaching $500 million, comprised principally of CapStar-led Tennessee-based loans, presenting the Company a tremendous opportunity to utilize current excess liquidity and capital to grow revenue and net income.

The Company’s net interest margin continues to be positively and negatively impacted from the effects of the recent pandemic. For the second quarter of 2021, the net interest margin increased 13 basis points from the prior quarter to 3.26 percent. The Company's net interest margin continues to be impacted by revenues related to PPP loans, as well as significant growth in deposit balances over the past year. Adjusting for the influence of PPP and excess deposits, the Company estimates its second quarter 2021 net interest margin was 3.36 percent, an increase of 1 basis point compared to the first quarter of 2021.

Within the adjusted net interest margin, the Company continued to experience favorable deposit trends. Average deposits totaled $2.66 billion in the second quarter of 2021, unchanged from the prior quarter. The Company experienced a favorable mix shift as average interest-bearing deposits declined $46.2 million, led by a $34.2 million reduction in higher cost time deposits. While the Company is experiencing a period of excess liquidity, a key longer-term strategic initiative is to create a stronger deposit-led culture with an emphasis on lower cost relationship-based deposits. During the quarter, the Company’s two lowest cost deposit categories, noninterest bearing and savings, increased $55.8 million on average from the prior quarter, or 27.8 percent linked-quarter annualized. Deposit costs declined across all interest-bearing account types leading to a 6 basis point decline to 0.29 percent. Combined with the favorable shift in noninterest bearing deposits, total deposit costs improved 5 basis points to 0.21 percent.

Noninterest income during the quarter benefitted from record interchange and debit card transaction fees, Tri-Net revenues, wealth management revenues, as well as continued strength in SBA revenues. While mortgage revenues declined from record levels, they remain high relative to past performance, and the Company strengthened its position during the quarter by hiring one of Nashville’s leading mortgage loan originators.

Noninterest Expense and Operating Efficiency

Noninterest expenses increased $1.7 million from the first quarter of 2021 to $19.1 million in the second quarter of 2021. Second quarter 2021 noninterest expense included approximately $3.0 million associated with the Company's 2021 incentive plan. Given the Company's performance in the first two quarters of 2021 and the outlook for the remainder of the year, the incentive accrual was increased $1.5 million in anticipation of reaching maximum payout. Data processing fees increased approximately $1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020 due to increased transaction volumes related to the Company's recent acquisitions and services related to the processing of PPP loans. As noted above, second quarter 2021 noninterest expense included $256,000 in acquisition related costs.

Efficiency is a key focus and the Company uses three metrics to monitor its performance relative to peers: efficiency ratio (noninterest expense as a percentage of total revenue), noninterest expense as a percentage of assets, and assets per employee. For the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the efficiency ratio was 57.97 percent, an increase from 54.08 percent in the first quarter of 2021. Annualized noninterest expense as a percentage of average assets increased to 2.49 percent for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 compared to 2.29 percent for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. Assets per employee improved to $8.4 million as of June 30, 2021 compared to $8.3 million for the previous quarter.

Asset Quality

Asset quality is a core tenant of the Company’s culture. Sound risk management and an improving economy led to low net charge-offs and strong credit metrics. Annualized net charge offs to average loans for the three months ended June 30, 2021 remained low at 0.01 percent. Past due loans as a percentage of total loans held for investment were 0.49 percent at June 30, 2021, compared to 0.43 percent at March 31, 2021. Within this amount, loans greater than 90 days past due totaled $2.4 million, or 0.13 percent of loans held for investment at June 30, 2021, compared to 0.14 percent at March 31, 2021. Non-performing assets to total loans and OREO were 0.22 percent at June 30, 2021, an improvement from 0.30 percent at March 31, 2021. Criticized and classified loans to total loans, which elevated during the pandemic, continued to improve and were 3.93 percent at June 30, 2021.

As a result of the Company’s quarterly analysis of the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses, the Company released reserves during the quarter based on improved asset quality trends and other qualitative factors. In addition to providing reserves for the strong loan growth experienced during the second quarter, the allowance for loan losses declined $1.1 million. As a result, the allowance for loan losses plus the fair value mark on acquired loans to total loans, less PPP loans, declined 13 basis points to 1.46 percent at June 30, 2021 from 1.59 percent at March 31, 2021.

Income Tax Expense

The Company’s effective income tax rate for the second quarter of 2021 was 19.0 percent, a decline from 22.0. percent in the prior quarter ended March 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to adjustments to the tax provision related to changes in tax strategy and updated expected results for the year. The Company anticipates its effective tax rate for 2021 to be approximately 21.0 percent.

Capital

The Company continues to be strongly capitalized with tangible equity of $311.1 million at June 30, 2021. Tangible book value per share of common stock for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 increased to $14.03 compared to $13.34 and $13.02 for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2020, respectively. The regulatory capital ratios in the table below are significantly above levels required to be considered “well capitalized," which is the highest possible regulatory designation.

In the second quarter of 2021, the Company did not repurchase common stock under its share repurchase program. The total remaining authorization for future repurchases was $29.7 million as of June 30, 2021.

Dividend

On July 22, 2021, the Board of Directors of CapStar approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per common share payable on August 25, 2021 to shareholders of record as of August 11, 2021.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

CapStar will host a conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. Central Time on Friday, July 23, 2021. During the call, management will review the second quarter results and operational highlights. Interested parties may listen to the call by dialing (844) 412-1002. The conference ID number is 2976541. A simultaneous webcast may be accessed on CapStar’s website at ir.capstarbank.com by clicking on “News & Events.” An archived version of the webcast will be available in the same location shortly after the live call has ended.

About CapStar Financial Holdings, Inc.

CapStar Financial Holdings, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee and operates primarily through its wholly owned subsidiary, CapStar Bank, a Tennessee-chartered state bank. CapStar Bank is a commercial bank that seeks to establish and maintain comprehensive relationships with its clients by delivering customized and creative banking solutions and superior client service. As of June 30, 2021, on a consolidated basis, CapStar had total assets of $3.2 billion, total loans of $1.9 billion, total deposits of $2.8 billion, and shareholders’ equity of $359.8 million. Visit www.capstarbank.com for more information.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

This release includes financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). This financial information includes certain operating performance measures, which exclude merger-related and other charges that are not considered part of recurring operations. Such measures include: “Efficiency ratio – operating,” “Expenses – operating,” “Earnings per share – operating,” “Diluted earnings per share – operating,” “Tangible book value per share,” “Return on common equity – operating,” “Return on tangible common equity – operating,” “Return on assets – operating,” and “Tangible common equity to tangible assets.”

Management has included these non-GAAP measures because it believes these measures may provide useful supplemental information for evaluating CapStar’s underlying performance trends. Further, management uses these measures in managing and evaluating CapStar’s business and intends to refer to them in discussions about our operations and performance. Operating performance measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative to or substitute for, measures determined in accordance with GAAP, and are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP measures that may be presented by other companies. To the extent applicable, reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures can be found in the ‘Non-GAAP Reconciliation Tables’ included in the exhibits to this presentation.

CAPSTAR FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Consolidated Statements of Income (unaudited) (dollars in thousands, except share data)
Second quarter 2021 Earnings Release

This information is preliminary and based on CapStar data available at the time of this earnings release.

CAPSTAR FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (dollars in thousands, except share data)
Second quarter 2021 Earnings Release

_____________________
*This metric is a non-GAAP financial measure. See Non-GAAP disclaimer in this earnings release and below for discussion and reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
This information is preliminary and based on CapStar data available at the time of this earnings release.

CAPSTAR FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (dollars in thousands, except share data)
Second quarter 2021 Earnings Release

_____________________

This information is preliminary and based on CapStar data available at the time of this earnings release.

(1)   Net Interest Margin, Securities yields, and Total interest-earning asset yields are calculated on a tax-equivalent basis.


CAPSTAR FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Analysis of Interest Income and Expense, Rates and Yields (unaudited) (dollars in thousands)
Second quarter 2021 Earnings Release