Horizon Bancorp, Inc. Announces 2019 First Quarter Earnings

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., April 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (NASDAQ GS: HBNC) – Horizon Bancorp, Inc. ("Horizon" or the "Company") today announced its unaudited financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2019. All share data has been adjusted to reflect Horizon's three-for-two stock split effective June 15, 2018. 

SUMMARY:

• On March 26, 2019, Horizon announced the completion of the previously announced acquisition of Salin Bancshares, Inc. ("Salin") and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Salin Bank and Trust Company ("Salin Bank"), headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2019 first quarter results include merger related expense of approximately $3.4 million, after tax.
• Net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 decreased 15.5% to $10.8 million, or $0.28 diluted earnings per share, compared to $12.8 million, or $0.33 diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2018.
• Core net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 increased 16.5% to $13.0 million, or $0.34 diluted earnings per share, compared to $11.2 million, or $0.29 diluted earnings per share, for the same period in 2018. This represents the highest quarter-to-date core net income and core diluted earnings per share in the Company's history. (See the "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Net Income and Diluted Earnings per Share" table on page 3 for a description of the elements of core net income)
• Return on average assets was 1.02% for the first quarter of 2019 compared to 1.32% for the first quarter of 2018.
• Core return on average assets for the first quarter of 2019 was 1.23% compared to 1.15% for the first quarter of 2018. (See the "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Return on Average Assets and Return on Average Common Equity" table on page 8 for the description of core return on average assets)
• Total loans, excluding acquired loans, increased by an annualized rate of 5.0%, or $36.8 million, during the first quarter of 2019.
• Net interest margin was 3.62% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to 3.60% for the three months ended December 31, 2018 and 3.81% for the three months ended March 31, 2018.
• Core net interest margin (defined as net interest margin excluding acquisition-related purchase accounting adjustments) was 3.46% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to 3.43% for the three months ended December 31, 2018 and 3.55% for the three months ended March 31, 2018.
• Horizon's tangible book value per share increased to $9.60 at March 31, 2019 compared to $9.43 and $8.57 at December 31, 2018 and March 31, 2018, respectively. This represents the highest tangible book value per share in the Company's history.
• Horizon to close three full-service branches on April 19, 2019 and one loan production office on April 26, 2019.
• Horizon to consolidate five Salin full-service branches on April 26, 2019 in coordination with the core data conversion.

Craig Dwight, Chairman and CEO of Horizon, commented:  "Horizon's 2019 first quarter earnings of $10.8 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, includes approximately $3.4 million, after tax, in merger expenses related to the acquisition of Salin Bancshares, Inc. which was completed on March 26, 2019. Excluding these merger expenses and other non-core items, Horizon's core net income totaled $13.0 million, or $0.34 diluted earnings per share.  This represents an increase in core diluted earnings per share of 3.0% and 17.2% when compared to the fourth and first quarters of 2018, respectively."

Dwight added, "Horizon's total assets at March 31, 2019 surpassed $5.0 billion, as a result of the Salin acquisition and organic loan growth since the beginning of the year. In addition to approximately $571.8 million in loans acquired from Salin, we also experienced organic loan growth at an annualized rate of 5.0% during the first quarter of 2019. The markets of Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis and Kalamazoo continue to experience solid growth with an increase in loan balances of $77.7 million, or 11.5%, during the first quarter of 2019. This growth is due to the credit of our seasoned lending team who live and work within these expanding and robust communities that we serve."

Dwight continued, "Horizon's strategy to build mass and scale in order to maximize operational leverage is working as we continue to experience lower costs as a percent of average assets. Excluding merger expenses, we reduced total non-interest expenses by $10,000 and $217,000 when comparing the first quarter of 2019 to the fourth and first quarters of 2018. This decrease in expenses is the result of focus by our entire team to pursue operational efficiencies and leverage new technologies. In addition, the acquisition of Salin continues our efforts to maximize operational leverage through mass and scale. As part of our strategy to improve efficiencies, we will close three legacy full-service branches on April 19, 2019 and will consolidate our existing Fort Wayne loan production office with the acquired Salin locations. In addition, we plan to close five Salin full-service branches which are in close proximity to an existing Horizon office or that do not meet our branch hurdle rates. The Salin branches will close in conjunction with our data conversion on April 26, 2019."

Dwight concluded, "Our merger with Salin provides entry into the attractive growth markets of Fort Wayne and Columbus, Indiana and complements our current Indiana locations. Salin Bank's presence in the dynamic markets of Indianapolis and Lafayette, Indiana will add to Horizon's current footprint. In addition, Salin has a talented team who will add depth and experience to our current sales, call center and operational network. Horizon's strategic plan calls for continued expansion in the States of Indiana and Michigan with an emphasis on strong core deposit growth, investment in growth markets and to add mass and scale to gain additional efficiencies. Horizon's merger with Salin fits well with our strategic plan."

In 2019, Horizon plans to cast a wider net to maximize our merger opportunities and in order to seek lower cost funding by including Central Illinois and Northwest Ohio. These markets complement Horizon's current Indiana and Michigan markets and will assist in our strategy to build shareholder value.

Income Statement Highlights

Net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $10.8 million, or $0.28 diluted earnings per share, compared to $12.8 million, or $0.33 diluted earnings per share, for the first quarter of 2018. Core net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $13.0 million, or $0.34 diluted earnings per share, compared to $11.2 million, or $0.29 diluted earnings per share, for the first quarter of 2018.

The decrease in net income and diluted earnings per share from the first quarter of 2018 when compared to the same period of 2019 reflects an increase in non-interest expense of $3.9 million, primarily due to merger expenses totaling $4.1 million (before tax expense), offset by increases in net interest income of $869,000 and non-interest income of $394,000 in addition to decreases in provision for loan losses of $203,000 and income tax expense of $447,000.

Horizon's net interest margin increased to 3.62% for the first quarter of 2019 when compared to 3.60% for the fourth quarter of 2018. The increase in net interest margin from the fourth quarter of 2018 reflects an increase in the yield on interest-earning assets of 13 basis points as loans continue to reprice. The increase in yield on earning assets was offset by an increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities of 14 basis points. The increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities was due to an increase in the cost of interest-bearing deposits of 10 basis points and borrowings of 5 basis points.

Net interest margin decreased to 3.62% for the first quarter of 2019 when compared to 3.81% for the first quarter of 2018. This decrease reflects an increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities of 59 basis points, offset by an increase in the yield of interest-earning assets of 26 basis points. The increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities was due to an increase in the cost of interest-bearing deposits of 60 basis points and borrowings of 56 basis points. The increase in the yield of interest-earning assets was due to increases in the yields on loans receivable of 23 basis points, taxable investment securities of 39 basis points and non-taxable investment securities of 52 basis points.

Net interest margin, excluding acquisition-related purchase accounting adjustments ("core net interest margin"), was 3.46% for the first quarter of 2019 compared to 3.43% for the prior quarter and 3.55% for the first quarter of 2018. Interest income from acquisition-related purchase accounting adjustments was $1.5 million, $1.6 million and $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, December 31, 2018 and March 31, 2018, respectively.

Lending Activity

Total loans increased $608.7 million from $3.014 billion as of December 31, 2018 to $3.623 billion as of March 31, 2019. Excluding acquired loans, total loans increased $36.8 million during the first quarter of 2019 as commercial loans increased by $17.1 million, residential mortgage loans increased by $15.6 million and consumer loans increased by $5.4 million, offset by a decrease in mortgage warehouse loans of $2.2 million.

Residential mortgage lending activity for the three months ended March 31, 2019 generated $1.3 million in income from the gain on sale of mortgage loans, a decrease of $146,000 from the fourth quarter of 2018 and a decrease of $114,000 from the first quarter of 2018. Total origination volume for the first quarter of 2019, including loans placed into portfolio, totaled $62.5 million, representing a decrease of 25.5% from the fourth quarter of 2018 and a decrease of 13.5% from the first quarter of 2018.

Revenue derived from Horizon's residential mortgage and warehouse lending activities was only 4.3% of Horizon's total revenue for the first quarter of 2019. 

The provision for loan losses totaled $364,000 for the first quarter of 2019 compared to $528,000 for the fourth quarter of 2018 and $567,000 for the first quarter of 2018. The decrease in the provision for loan losses from the fourth and first quarters of 2018 when compared to the first quarter of 2019 was primarily due to improving credit trends and a continued low level of charge-offs.

The ratio of the allowance for loan losses to total loans decreased to 0.49% as of March 31, 2019 from 0.59% at December 31, 2018. The decrease in the ratio of the allowance for loan losses to total loans is primarily due to increased loan balances from the Salin acquisition. The ratio of the allowance for loan losses to total loans, excluding loans with credit-related purchase accounting adjustments, was 0.69% as of March 31, 2019 compared to 0.72% as of December 31, 2018. Loan loss reserves plus credit-related loan discounts on acquired loans as a percentage of total loans was 1.10% as of March 31, 2019 compared to 0.98% as of December 31, 2018.

As of March 31, 2019, non-performing loans totaled $19.4 million, which reflects a three basis point increase in non-performing loans to total loans, or a $4.2 million increase from $15.2 million in non-performing loans as of December 31, 2018. Compared to December 31, 2018, non-performing commercial loans increased by $2.8 million, non-performing real estate loans increased by $988,000 and non-performing consumer loans increased by $376,000. Other real estate owned and repossessed assets totaled $3.7 million as of March 31, 2019 which is an increase of $1.6 million from December 31, 2018. The majority of this increase was due to other real estate owned properties acquired in the Salin transaction totaling $1.6 million. 

Expense Management

Total non-interest expense was $3.6 million higher in the first quarter of 2019 when compared to the fourth quarter of 2018, primarily due to $4.1 million of merger expenses. Outside services and consultants, other expenses, salaries and employee benefits, net occupancy expenses, data processing and loan expense increased by $2.0 million, $1.0 million, $368,000, $271,000, $212,000 and $112,000, respectively. Offsetting these increases were decreases in FDIC insurance expense of $233,000 and professional fees of $119,000. Excluding merger expenses, total non-interest expense decreased slightly by $10,000 during the first quarter of 2019 when compared to the fourth quarter of 2018.

Total non-interest expense was $3.9 million higher during the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, primarily due to merger expenses. Outside services and consultants, other expense, loan expense and data processing increased $2.3 million, $974,000, $692,000 and $270,000, respectively. Offsetting these increases was a decrease in net occupancy expense of $194,000 and FDIC insurance expense of $150,000. Excluding merger expenses, total non-interest expense decreased $217,000 during the first quarter of 2019 when compared to the first quarter of 2018.

Annualized non-interest expense as a percent of average assets were 2.80%, 2.48% and 2.66% for the three months ended March 31, 2019, December 31, 2018 and March 31, 2018, respectively. Annualized non-interest expense, excluding merger expenses, as a percent of average assets continue to decline and were 2.41%, 2.43% and 2.66% for the three months ended March 31, 2019, December 31, 2018 and March 31, 2018, respectively. Horizon's strategy to build mass and scale continues to prove effective.

Income tax expense totaled $2.1 million for the first quarter of 2019, a decrease of $461,000 when compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 and a decrease of $447,000 when compared to the first quarter of 2018. The decrease in income tax expense from the fourth and first quarters of 2018 was primarily due to decreases in income before income taxes of $2.8 million and $2.4 million, respectively, when compared to the first quarter of 2019.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Certain information set forth in this press release refers to financial measures determined by methods other than in accordance with GAAP.  Specifically, we have included non-GAAP financial measures relating to net income, diluted earnings per share, net interest margin, total loans and loan growth, the allowance for loan and lease losses, tangible stockholders' equity, tangible book value per share, the return on average assets and the return on average equity. In each case, we have identified special circumstances that we consider to be non-recurring and have excluded them, to show the impact of such events as acquisition-related purchase accounting adjustments, among others we have identified in our reconciliations. Horizon believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are helpful to investors and provide a greater understanding of our business without giving effect to the purchase accounting impacts and one-time costs of acquisitions and non-core items. These measures are not necessarily comparable to similar measures that may be presented by other companies and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measure.  See the tables and other information below and contained elsewhere in this press release for reconciliations of the non-GAAP figures identified herein and their most comparable GAAP measures.

About Horizon

Horizon Bancorp, Inc. is an independent, commercial bank holding company serving northern and central Indiana, and southern, central and the Great Lakes Bay regions of Michigan through its commercial banking subsidiary Horizon Bank. Horizon also offers mortgage-banking services throughout the Midwest. Horizon may be reached online at www.horizonbank.com.  Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Horizon.  For these statements, Horizon claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Statements in this press release should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Horizon, including the information in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance.  The forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.  We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will" and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. 

Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.  Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include risk factors relating to the banking industry and the other factors detailed from time to time in Horizon's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in its Form 10-K.  Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Horizon does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.

Contact:
Horizon Bancorp, Inc.
Mark E. Secor
Chief Financial Officer
(219) 873-2611
Fax: (219) 874-9280    

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Financial Highlights
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