PWOD - Penns Woods Bancorp Inc. Reports First Quarter 2022 Earnings

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., April 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PWOD)

Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. achieved net income of $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, resulting in basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.49.

Highlights

• Net income, as reported under GAAP, for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was $3.4 million compared to $3.4 million for the same period of 2021. Results for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to 2021 were impacted by an increase in after-tax securities losses of $142,000 (from a gain of $94,000 to a loss of $48,000) for the three month period. In addition, an after-tax loss of $201,000 related to a branch closure negatively impacted the three months ended March 31, 2022.
  
  
• The provision for loan losses decreased $365,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 to $150,000 compared to $515,000 for the 2021 period. The provision for loan losses was elevated in 2021 due primarily to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  
• Basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $0.49. Basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2021 were $0.49.
  
  
• Annualized return on average assets was 0.72% for three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to 0.75% for the corresponding period of 2021.
  
  
• Annualized return on average equity was 8.17% for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to 8.59% for the corresponding period of 2021.
  

Net Income

Net income from core operations (“core earnings”), which is a non-generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) measure of net income excluding net securities gains or losses, was $3.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $3.3 million for the same period of 2021. Core earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $0.48 basic and diluted, compared to $0.47 basic and diluted core earnings per share for the same period of 2021. Core return on average assets and core return on average equity were 0.73% and 8.28% for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to 0.73% and 8.35% for the corresponding period of 2021. Core earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were impacted negatively by an after-tax loss of $201,000 relating to a branch closure. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures of core earnings, core return on assets, core return on equity, and core earnings per share described in this press release to the comparable GAAP financial measures is included at the end of this press release.

Net Interest Margin

The net interest margin for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was 2.93%, compared to 2.88% for the corresponding period of 2021. The increase in the net interest margin for the three month period was driven by a decline in the rate paid on interest-bearing deposits of 35 basis points ("bps") as rates paid decreased throughout 2021 and through the first three months of 2022. Leading the decline in the rate paid on interest-bearing deposits was a 94 bps decline in the rate paid on time deposits as time deposits issued prior to the COVID-19 pandemic matured. Offsetting the decrease in rates paid on the interest bearing liabilities was a decrease in the yield of the loan portfolio of 26 bps coupled with the yield on the investment portfolio declining 32 bps as legacy earning assets were paid down or matured.

Assets

Total assets increased $20.6 million to $1.9 billion at March 31, 2022 compared to March 31, 2021.  Cash and cash equivalents decreased $58.9 million as interest-bearing accounts in other financial institutions decreased $106.1 million which was partially offset by an increase of $50.0 million in federal funds sold. Net loans increased $70.2 million to $1.4 billion at March 31, 2022 compared to March 31, 2021, as the economy continued recovering from the various negative economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and an emphasis was placed on commercial loan growth. The investment portfolio increased $7.5 million from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 as a portion of the excess cash liquidity was invested primarily into short-term municipal bonds with a maturity of five years or less.

Non-performing Loans

The ratio of non-performing loans to total loans ratio decreased to 0.38% at March 31, 2022 from 0.69% at March 31, 2021 as non-performing loans have decreased to $5.3 million at March 31, 2022 from $9.3 million at March 31, 2021. The majority of non-performing loans involve loans that are either in a secured position and have sureties with a strong underlying financial position or have a specific allocation for any impairment recorded within the allowance for loan losses. Net loan charge-offs of $303,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 impacted the allowance for loan losses, which was 1.00% of total loans at March 31, 2022 compared to 1.06% at March 31, 2021.

Deposits

Deposits increased $48.0 million to $1.6 billion at March 31, 2022 compared to March 31, 2021. Noninterest-bearing deposits increased $35.2 million to $514.1 million at March 31, 2022 compared to March 31, 2021.  Driving deposit growth was the receipt of PPP funding by commercial customers, stimulus funding by retail customers, and customers becoming more risk averse and seeking safety in a bank deposit. Emphasis remains on increasing the utilization of electronic (internet and mobile) deposit banking among our customers. Utilization of internet and mobile banking has increased since the start of 2020 due to these efforts coupled with a change in consumer behavior due to the business and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The increased level of deposits has allowed for a $28.2 million decrease in long-term borrowings.

Shareholders’ Equity

Shareholders’ equity increased $4.4 million to $168.4 million at March 31, 2022 compared to March 31, 2021.  Accumulated other comprehensive loss of $6.5 million at March 31, 2022 increased from a loss of $2.5 million at March 31, 2021 as a result of a increase of $6.2 million in the net unrealized losses on available for sale securities and a change in the defined benefit plan of $2.1 million. The current level of shareholders’ equity equates to a book value per share of $23.81 at March 31, 2022 compared to $23.25 at March 31, 2021, and an equity to asset ratio of 8.79% at March 31, 2022 and 8.65% at March 31, 2021. Dividends declared for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were $0.32 per share.

Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company of Jersey Shore State Bank, which operates seventeen branch offices providing financial services in Lycoming, Clinton, Centre, Montour, Union, and Blair Counties, and Luzerne Bank, which operates eight branch offices providing financial services in Luzerne County, and United Insurance Solutions, LLC, which offers insurance products.  Investment and insurance products are offered through Jersey Shore State Bank’s subsidiary, The M Group, Inc. D/B/A The Comprehensive Financial Group.

NOTE:  This press release contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”).  Management uses the non-GAAP measure of net income from core operations in its analysis of the company’s performance. This measure, as used by the Company, adjusts net income determined in accordance with GAAP to exclude the effects of special items, including significant gains or losses that are unusual in nature such as net securities gains and losses. Because these certain items and their impact on the Company’s performance are difficult to predict, management believes presentation of financial measures excluding the impact of such items provides useful supplemental information in evaluating the operating results of the Company’s core businesses. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for net income determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.

This press release may contain certain “forward-looking statements” including statements concerning plans, objectives, future events or performance and assumptions and other statements, which are statements other than statements of historical fact.  The Company cautions readers that the following important factors, among others, may have affected and could in the future affect actual results and could cause actual results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of the Company herein: (i) the effect of changes in laws and regulations, including federal and state banking laws and regulations, and the associated costs of compliance with such laws and regulations either currently or in the future as applicable; (ii) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the regulatory agencies as well as by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or of changes in the Company’s organization, compensation and benefit plans; (iii) the effect on the Company’s competitive position within its market area of the increasing consolidation within the banking and financial services industries, including the increased competition from larger regional and out-of-state banking organizations as well as non-bank providers of various financial services; (iv) the effect of changes in interest rates; (v) the effects of health emergencies, including the spread of infectious diseases or pandemics; or (vi) the effect of changes in the business cycle and downturns in the local, regional or national economies.  For a list of other factors which could affect the Company’s results, see the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including “Item 1A.  Risk Factors,” set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by the Company on its website or otherwise.  The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

Previous press releases and additional information can be obtained from the Company’s website at www.pwod.com.

PENNS WOODS BANCORP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
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PENNS WOODS BANCORP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME
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PENNS WOODS BANCORP, INC.
AVERAGE BALANCES AND INTEREST RATES
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* Core deposits are defined as total deposits less time deposits

Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Financial Measures
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