VBTX - Veritex Holdings Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2023 Results

DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Veritex Holdings, Inc. (“Veritex”, the “Company”, “we” or “our”) (Nasdaq: VBTX), the holding company for Veritex Community Bank, today announced the results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023.

"Looking back at 2023, I am extremely proud of the ability of our team, in a volatile economic environment, to remain disciplined on our strategic plan and strengthen our balance sheet", said C. Malcolm Holland, III. "This team achieved deposit growth of $1.2 billion in 2023, increased CET1 to 10.3% and decreased our LDR below 94%. Market volatility brings many challenges and opportunities that this Company has navigated with great precision."

2023 Highlights:

• Total deposits grew $141.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, or 5.6% annualized. Total deposits grew $1.2 billion, or 13.3%, year-over-year;
• Loan to deposit ratio decreased to 93.6% as of December 31, 2023 compared to 104.4% as of December 31, 2022;
• Common equity tier 1 capital increased 120 bps to 10.29% as of December 31, 2023 compared to 9.09% as of December 31, 2022;
• Tangible book value per common share increased 8.4%, or $1.57, during 2023 compared to 2022, and including dividends increased 12.7%, or $2.37;
• Allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) to total loans increased to 1.14%, or 18 bps from 0.96% compared to December 31, 2022;
• Non-owner office book decreased $78 million, or 12.1%, during 2023 and represents 5.8% of total assets;
• Pre-tax, pre-provision operating return on average assets was 1.81% for 2023;
• Total unfunded Acquisition, Development, and Construction (“ADC”) decreased to $900.0 million, or approximately 57%, as of December 31, 2023 compared to $2.1 billion as of December 31, 2022, and risk-weighted assets decreased $612.2 million, or 5.1%, during 2023 compared to 2022;
• Declared quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share of outstanding common stock payable on February 23, 2024;.and
• Named one of the “Best Companies to Work For” by the 2023 Inaugural U.S. News & World Report which evaluates companies based on quality of pay, work/life balance, and opportunities for professional development and advancement.

¹ Refer to the section titled "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures.
² Annualized ratio.

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023

Net Interest Income

For the three months ended December 31, 2023, net interest income before provision for credit losses was $95.5 million and net interest margin was 3.31%, compared to $99.4 million and 3.46%, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The $3.8 million decrease, or 3.9%, in net interest income before provision for credit losses was primarily due to a $6.3 million increase in interest expense on transaction and savings deposits, a $4.0 million increase in interest expense on certificates and other time deposits and a $1.9 million decrease in interest income on loans primarily driven by interest reversals on loans placed on nonaccrual status during the three months ended December 31, 2023. The decrease was offset by a $5.9 million decrease in advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”), a $1.4 million increase in interest income on debt securities and a $1.0 million increase in interest income on deposits in financial institutions and fed funds sold driven by an increase in average balances and rates during three months ended December 31, 2023. Net interest margin decreased 15 bps from the three months ended September 30, 2023, primarily due to the increase in funding costs on deposits during the three months ended December 31, 2023, partially offset by an increase in yields on debt securities and other investments.

Compared to the three months ended December 31, 2022, net interest income before provision for credit losses for the three months ended December 31, 2023 decreased by $10.6 million, or 10.0%. The decrease was primarily due to a $31.6 million increase in interest expense certificates and other time deposits and a $22.2 million increase in transaction and savings deposits driven by an increase in funding costs. The decrease in net interest income was partially offset by a $28.6 million increase in interest income on loans driven by an increase in loan yields and average balances, an $8.0 million decrease in interest expense on advances from FHLB, a $4.8 million increase in interest income in deposits in financial institutions and fed funds sold and a $1.4 million increase in interest income on debt securities. Net interest margin decreased 56 bps to 3.31% for the three months ended December 31, 2023 from 3.87% for the three months ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the increase in funding costs on deposits during the three months ended December 31, 2023, partially offset by an increase in loan yields and debt securities.

Noninterest (Loss) Income

Noninterest (loss) income for the three months ended December 31, 2023 was a loss of $17.8 million, a decrease of $27.5 million, or 283.9%, compared to noninterest income of $9.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in noninterest income was primarily due to a $29.3 million decrease in equity method investment income related to a write down of our equity method investment in Thrive Mortgage, LLC ("Thrive") related to Thrive’s entry into a definitive agreement in December 2023 to be acquired by Lower Holding Company. The decrease was partially offset by a $665 thousand increase in government guaranteed loan income, primarily driven by an increase in U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) loans sold through our wholly owned subsidiary North Avenue Capital, LLC ("NAC").

Compared to the three months ended December 31, 2022, noninterest income for the three months ended December 31, 2023   decreased $32.1 million, or 224.2%. The decrease was primarily due to a $24.0 million decrease in equity method investment income related to the write down of our equity method investment in Thrive. In addition, the decrease was partially due to $946 thousand increase in gain on sale of USDA loans through NAC, a $2.0 million decrease in customer swap income, a $1.3 million decrease in loan fees and a $1.0 million decrease in other income.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense was $60.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, compared to $59.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, an increase of $824 thousand, or 1.4%. The increase was primarily driven by a $1.4 million increase in other expenses and a $768 thousand FDIC special assessment expense recorded in the fourth quarter 2023, partially offset by a decrease of $408 thousand in marketing expenses and a decrease of $343 thousand in salaries and employee benefits.

Noninterest expense was $60.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, compared to $57.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022, an increase of $2.9 million, or 5.0%. The increase was primarily driven by a $3.2 million increase in professional and regulatory fees driven by FDIC insurance assessment expense, which includes the $768 thousand FDIC special assessment expense recorded in the fourth quarter 2023, and a $2.8 million increase in other expenses. The increase was partially offset by a $3.1 million decrease in salary and employee benefits.

Financial Condition

Total loans held for investment (“LHI”) was $9.2 billion at December 31, 2023, a decrease of $30.9 million, compared to September 30, 2023, and an increase of $170.1 million, or 1.9%, compared to December 31, 2022.

Total deposits were $10.34 billion at December 31, 2023, an increase of $141.7 million, or 5.5% annualized, compared to September 30, 2023, and an increase of $1.21 billion, or 13.3%, compared to December 31, 2022. The increase from September 30, 2023 was primarily the result of an increase of $412.3 million in interest-bearing transaction, money market and savings deposits accounts. The increase was partially offset by a decrease of $211.7 million in certificates and other time deposits and a decrease of $145.3 million of noninterest bearing deposits. The increase from December 31, 2022 was primarily the result of increases of $1.11 billion and $833.7 million in certificates and other time deposits and interest-bearing transaction, money market, and savings deposits, respectively. The increase was partially offset by a $422.6 million decrease in non-interest bearing deposits and a $301.2 million decrease in correspondent money market accounts.

Credit Quality

Nonperforming assets (“NPAs”) increased to $95.8 million, or 0.77% of total assets, at December 31, 2023, compared to $79.9 million, or 0.65% of total assets, at September 30, 2023. The Company had net charge-offs of $9.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Net charge-offs compared to average loans outstanding were 25 bps for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 16 bps for year ended December 31, 2022.

ACL as a percentage of LHI was 1.14%, 1.14%, and 0.96% at December 31, 2023, September 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, respectively. The Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $9.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, compared to a provision for credit losses of $8.6 million and $11.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The recorded provision for credit losses reported for the three months ended December 31, 2023, compared to the three months ended December 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to an increase in general reserves as a result of changes in economic factors and individually analyzed loans receiving specific reserves. The Company recorded a benefit for unfunded commitments of $1.5 million, $909 thousand and $523 thousand during the three months ended December 31, 2023, September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The increase in the recorded benefit for unfunded commitments during the three months ended December 31, 2023, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, was attributable to a decrease in unfunded commitment balances partially offset by changes in economic factors.

Income Tax

Income tax expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 totaled $36.0 million, a decrease of $4.3 million, or 10.7%, compared to the twelve months ended December 31, 2022. The Company’s effective tax rate was approximately 25.0% and 21.6% for the twelve months December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The change in the effective tax rate for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, compared to the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, was primarily due to a $4.2 million valuation allowance relating to our impairment on our investment in Thrive and its relative relation to less pre-tax income.

Dividend Information

On January 23, 2024, Veritex's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share on its outstanding shares of common stock. The dividend will be paid on February 23, 2024 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 9, 2024.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Veritex’s management uses certain non-GAAP (U.S. generally accepted accounting principles) financial measures to evaluate its operating performance and provide information that is important to investors. However, non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental and should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative for, Veritex’s reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, Veritex reviews and reports tangible book value per common share, operating earnings, tangible common equity to tangible assets, return on average tangible common equity, pre-tax, pre-provision operating earnings, pre-tax, pre-provision operating return on average assets, pre-tax, pre-provision operating return on average loans, diluted operating earnings per share, operating return on average assets, operating return on average tangible common equity and operating efficiency ratio. Veritex has included in this earnings release information related to these non-GAAP financial measures for the applicable periods presented. Please refer to “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” after the financial highlights at the end of this earnings release for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures.

Conference Call

The Company will host an investor conference call to review the results on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. Central Time. Participants may pre-register for the call by visiting https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/9o9pd6vj/ and will receive a unique PIN, which can be used when dialing in for the call.

Participants may also register via teleconference at:
https://register.vevent.com/register/BI07dad5089afd439ebad10a33915b98b6 . Once registration is completed, participants will be provided with a dial-in number containing a personalized conference code to access the call. All participants are instructed to dial-in 15 minutes prior to the start time.

A replay will be available within approximately two hours after the completion of the call, and made accessible for one week. You may access the replay via webcast through the investor relations section of Veritex’s website.

About Veritex Holdings, Inc.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Veritex is a bank holding company that conducts banking activities through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Veritex Community Bank, with locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and in the Houston metropolitan area. Veritex Community Bank is a Texas state chartered bank regulated by the Texas Department of Banking and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. For more information, visit www.veritexbank.com .

Media and Investor Relations:
investorrelations@veritexbank.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This earnings release includes “forward-looking statements”, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on various facts and derived utilizing assumptions, current expectations, estimates and projections and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which change over time and are beyond our control, that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the expected payment of Veritex’s quarterly cash dividend; expected loss on Veritex’s current equity method investment in Thrive; the transaction between Thrive and Lower Holding Company, including the expected timing of the completion of such transaction, the ability of the parties thereto to complete such transaction, the ability of the parties thereto to obtain any required regulatory or other approvals, authorizations or consents in connection with such transaction, and diversion of management time on issues related to such transaction; the impact of certain changes in Veritex’s accounting policies, standards and interpretations; a continuation of recent turmoil in the banki ng industry, responsive measures to mitigate and manage it and related supervisory and regulatory actions and costs and Veritex’s future financial performance, business and growth strategy, projected plans and objectives, as well as other projections based on macroeconomic and industry trends, which are inherently unreliable due to the multiple factors that impact broader economic and industry trends, and any such variations may be material. Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “projects,” “estimates,” “seeks,” “targets,” “outlooks,” “plans” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may” and “could” are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts, although not all forward-looking statements include the foregoing words. We refer you to the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Veritex’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and any updates to those risk factors set forth in Veritex’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if Veritex’s underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what Veritex anticipates. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Veritex does not undertake any obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, to supplement, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this earnings release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that Veritex or persons acting on Veritex’s behalf may issue.

¹ Refer to the section titled "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" after the financial highlights for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures.
² Dividend amount represents dividend paid per common share subsequent to each respective quarter end.
³ Nonaccrual PCD loans consist of PCD loans that transitioned upon adoption of ASC 326 Financial Instruments-Credit Losses and were accounted for on a pooled basis that have subsequently been placed on nonaccrual status.
⁴ Annualized ratio for quarterly metrics.

¹ Includes provision for credit losses on available for sale (“AFS”) securities of $885 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2023.