Paragon Commercial Corporation Reports 22% Increase in Earnings for the Fourth Quarter of 2016

Wednesday, 18 January 2017 06:00 PM

Highlights:

  • Fourth quarter 2016 net income of $3.6 million, a 22% increase over the same period in the prior year
  • Annual 2016 net income of $13.4 million, a 19% increase over the prior year
  • Fully diluted earnings per share of $0.67 versus $0.65 for fourth quarter of 2015
  • Loan growth of $25.9 million in the fourth quarter
  • Credit quality remains strong with nonperforming loans at only 0.08% of total loans and no accruing loans past due greater than 30 days
  • Fourth quarter ROAA of 0.97% and ROAE of 10.68%

RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / January 18, 2017 / Paragon Commercial Corporation (the "Company") (NASDAQ: PBNC), parent company of Paragon Bank, today reported unaudited financial results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2016. Net income during the three-month period increased 22% to $3.6 million compared to $3.0 million for the same period in 2015. The increase in earnings was primarily driven by an increase in net interest income as a result of continued loan growth. The increase in net interest income was partially offset by a $200,000 loan loss provision as the Company increased its Allowance for Loan Losses commensurate with loan growth. In addition, the fourth quarter of 2016 included $443,000 in loss on write-down of foreclosed properties compared to only $287,000 for the same period in 2015. Fully diluted earnings per share ("EPS") for the period were $0.67, an increase of $0.02 from the same period in 2015 despite the additional shares issued as a result of the Company's initial public offering ("IPO") and listing on Nasdaq during the second quarter of 2016. Despite increasing the share count by approximately 18% as a result of the IPO, the share addition only resulted in EPS dilution for one quarter. For the year ending December 31, 2016, the Company reported net income of $13.4 million, an increase of 19% over the $11.2 million of net income for the same period in 2015. Robert C. Hatley, President and CEO, stated, "We continued our steady growth and performance in the fourth quarter. 2016 proved to be the most successful year in Paragon's 17-year history. Our performance in loan growth, efficiency, credit quality, profitability, and deposit growth placed Paragon as a high achieving bank. We also completed a successful initial public offering in June. We are extremely pleased with the performance in our stock since our June IPO. This could not be accomplished if it were not for our staff, our unique business model, and the outstanding markets we serve."

The annualized return on average assets for the fourth quarter of 2016 was 0.97% and the annualized return on average equity was 10.68% compared to 0.89% and 12.26%, respectively, for the same ratios in the fourth quarter of 2015. Those ratios were impacted by the additional capital as a result of the IPO.

Consolidated Assets

Total consolidated assets on December 31, 2016 were $1.50 billion compared to $1.31 billion as of December 31, 2015. Assets increased during the quarter by $25.0 million as a result of strong loan demand.

Loan Portfolio

Loans outstanding increased by $25.9 million during the fourth quarter from $1.17 billion at September 30, 2016 to $1.19 billion at December 31, 2016. Commercial and industrial and owner occupied commercial real estate grew $14.0 million during the period and consumer real estate and other consumer lending increased $5.5 million, while commercial real estate and multifamily combined remained relatively flat. The Company continues to see strong loan growth throughout the Raleigh, Charlotte, and Cary markets.

Deposit Portfolio

Total deposits decreased by $26.8 million during the fourth quarter as the Company continued to pay down wholesale deposits in an effort to reduce its noncore deposit percentage. During the fourth quarter, an increase in demand account balances of $22.8 million was offset by decreases in money market and interest checking accounts of $25.1 million. However for the year, these types of accounts experienced a combined increase of $290.2 million or 44% compared to a decline in time deposits during the year of $100.8 million or 32%. During the fourth quarter, time deposits decreased by $24.6 million or 10% as the Company continued to implement its strategic initiative to reduce its reliance on time deposits.

Credit Quality

The Company recorded a $200,000 loan loss provision for the fourth quarter of 2016 as a result of the growth in total loans. There was no provision for loan losses for the quarter ended December 31, 2015. The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans at December 31, 2016 was 0.66%, down from 0.68% in the third quarter of 2016, reflecting continued credit improvement as the Company posted a quarter with no accruing loans past due greater than 30 days at period end.

Asset quality continued to remain strong as nonperforming loans were 0.08% of total loans at December 31, 2016. Loans past due 30 days or greater at quarter end were 0.00% of total and the ratio of total nonperforming assets to total assets including foreclosed real estate was 0.38%.

Net Interest Income

Net interest income increased by $1.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to the fourth quarter of 2015. Net interest income totaled $12.4 million during the period, representing a net interest margin of 3.58% on a tax equivalent basis, which was up 0.06% when compared to 3.52% in the fourth quarter of 2015. For the year ended December 31, 2016, net interest income increased $5.0 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2015.

Non-Interest Income

For the fourth quarter of 2016, non-interest income was $209,000 compared to $102,000 for the same period in 2015. The fourth quarter of 2016 was impacted by $443,000 in write-downs or loss on sale of foreclosed real estate compared to $287,000 in such losses in the same period of 2015.

Non-Interest Expenses

Non-interest expenses in the fourth quarter of 2016 were $7.0 million compared to $6.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2015. Personnel expense increased by $466,000 as the Company added lenders and staff to support its strong growth. This expense, however, was partially offset by declines in several other key categories, including advertising and public relations, which declined by $187,000, and FDIC and other supervisory fees, which declined by $158,000 in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to the fourth quarter of 2015.

MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Blair Kelly - MMI Public Relations, 919.233.6600 or [email protected]
Scott Williams - Paragon Bank, SVP/Director of Marketing & Public Relations, 919.534.7385 or [email protected]

INVESTOR INQUIRIES:
Steve Crouse - Paragon Bank, Chief Financial Officer, 919.534.7404 or [email protected]

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:
Paragon Bank LinkedIn Page: http://linkd.in/P0o9Wc

ABOUT PARAGON COMMERCIAL CORPORATION

Paragon Commercial Corporation is the parent company of Paragon Bank, which provides a private banking experience to businesses, professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and other individuals. Founded in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1999, Paragon Bank provides banking services through highly responsive professionals, an extensive courier service, online and mobile technologies, free worldwide ATM access, and a select number of strategically placed offices in Raleigh, Cary and Charlotte, NC. For more information, visit http://ParagonBank.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, without limitation: the effects of future economic conditions; governmental fiscal and monetary policies; legislative and regulatory changes; the risks of changes in interest rates; management of growth; fluctuations in our financial results; reliance on key personnel; our ability to compete effectively; privacy, security and other risks associated with our business; and the other factors set forth from time to time in our SEC filings, copies of which are available free of charge within the Investor Relations section of our website at https://paragonbank.com/investor-relations/ or upon request from our investor relations department. Paragon Commercial Corporation assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Some of the financial measures included in this press release are not measures of financial performance recognized by United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures are "overhead to average assets" and "efficiency ratio." Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in its analysis of our performance and because of market expectations of use of these ratios to evaluate the Company. Management believes each of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information about our financial condition and results of operation.

"Overhead to average assets" reflects the amount of non-interest expenses incurred in comparison to the total size of the Company and provides investors with an additional measure of our productivity.

The efficiency ratio shows the amount of revenue generated for each dollar spent and provides investors with a measure of our productivity.

These non-GAAP disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the tables at the end of this release under the caption "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

PARAGON COMMERCIAL CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
Year to Date
Dec. 31,
Sept. 30,
June 30,
March 31,
Dec. 31,
as of December 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
2016
2016
2016
2016
2015
2016
2015
Loans and loan fees
$ 13,261 $ 12,544 $ 11,840 $ 11,190 $ 11,311 $ 48,835 $ 43,500
Investment securities
1,264 1,214 1,369 1,219 1,238 5,066 4,786
Federal funds and other interest income
48 97 63 58 45 266 149
Total Interest and Dividend Income
14,573 13,855 13,272 12,467 12,594 54,167 48,435
Interest-bearing checking and money markets
1,064 966 836 857 769 3,723 2,756
Time deposits
560 588 556 567 704 2,271 3,313
Borrowings and repurchase agreements
530 534 579 492 391 2,135 1,315
Total Interest Expense
2,154 2,088 1,971 1,916 1,864 8,129 7,384
Net Interest Income
12,419 11,767 11,301 10,551 10,730 46,038 41,051
Provision for loan losses
200 391 - - - 591 750
Net Interest Income after Provision for Loan Losses
12,219 11,376 11,301 10,551 10,730 45,447 40,301
Non-interest Income
Increase in cash surrender value of bank owned life insurance
247 220 226 223 221 916 853
Net gain (loss) on sale of securities
21 - - 85 (26 ) 106 542
Deposit service charges and other fees
64 65 56 58 56 243 219
Mortgage banking revenues
48 59 33 32 41 172 197
Net loss on sale or write-down of other real estate
(443 ) - (45 ) (212 ) (287 ) (700 ) (759 )
Other non-interest income
272 94 111 80 97 557 402
Total Non-interest Income
209 438 381 266 102 1,294 1,454
Non-interest Expense
Salaries and employee benefits
4,083 3,912 3,742 3,867 3,617 15,604 13,331
Occupancy
393 362 342 344 344 1,441 1,547
Furniture and equipment
560 456 502 492 495 2,010 1,878
Data processing
270 270 279 296 257 1,115 1,103
Directors fees and expenses
193 219 219 252 251 883 921
Professional fees
429 208 182 237 123 1,056 737
FDIC and other supervisory assessments
71 220 217 195 229 703 939
Advertising and public relations
210 239 234 188 397 871 934
Unreimbursed loan costs and foreclosure related expenses
145 172 142 69 124 528 874
Other expenses
654 720 629 660 463 2,663 2,496
Total Non-interest Expenses
7,008 6,778 6,488 6,600 6,300 26,874 24,760
Income before income taxes
5,420 5,036 5,194 4,217 4,532 19,867 16,995
Income tax expense
1,798 1,581 1,719 1,379 1,569 6,477 5,761
Net income
$ 3,622 $ 3,455 $ 3,475 $ 2,838 $ 2,963 $ 13,390 $ 11,234
Basic earnings per share
$ 0.67 $ 0.64 $ 0.76 $ 0.62 $ 0.65 $ 2.69 $ 2.49
Diluted earnings per share
$ 0.67 $ 0.64 $ 0.75 $ 0.62 $ 0.65 $ 2.68 $ 2.47

PARAGON COMMERCIAL CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)

Dec. 31,
Sept. 30,
June 30,
March 31,
Dec. 31,
(Dollars and shares in thousands)
2016
2016
2016
2016
2015
Assets
Cash and due from banks
$ 43,005 $ 73,706 $ 100,115 $ 51,559 $ 55,530
Investment securities - available for sale, at fair value
197,441 178,606 186,323 182,157 168,896
Loans-net of unearned income and deferred fees
1,191,280 1,165,345 1,105,344 1,044,981 1,016,156
Allowance for loan losses
(7,909 ) (7,925 ) (7,986 ) (7,931 ) (7,641 )
1,183,371 1,157,420 1,097,358 1,037,050 1,008,515
Premises and equipment, net
15,642 15,858 16,124 16,281 16,433
Bank owned life insurance
34,190 28,943 28,723 28,497 28,274
Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost
8,400 5,425 8,613 7,232 8,061
Accrued interest receivable
4,368 4,022 4,092 3,858 3,795
Deferred tax assets
4,841 3,361 3,264 4,304 4,118
Other real estate owned and repossessed property
4,740 5,183 5,183 5,228 5,453
Other assets
7,769 6,335 4,538 5,011 6,836
Total Assets
$ 1,503,767 $ 1,478,859 $ 1,454,333 $ 1,341,177 $ 1,305,911
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Liabilities
Deposits:
Demand, non-interest bearing
$ 211,202 $ 188,398 $ 179,070 $ 166,556 $ 158,974
Money market accounts and interest checking
742,046 767,124 654,954 624,199 504,092
Time deposits
219,007 243,563 266,177 256,378 319,781
Total deposits
1,172,255 1,199,085 1,100,201 1,047,133 982,847
Repurchase agreements and federal funds purchased
20,174 19,796 22,690 24,494 30,580
Borrowings
150,000 100,000 175,000 146,673 169,800
Subordinated debentures
18,558 18,558 18,558 18,558 18,558
Other liabilities
6,679 6,398 6,175 4,147 6,468
Total Liabilities
1,367,666 1,343,837 1,322,624 1,241,005 1,208,253
Stockholders' equity
Common stock, $0.008 par value
44 44 43 37 37
Additional paid in capital
80,147 80,015 79,845 53,235 53,147
Retained earnings
58,750 55,128 51,673 48,198 45,360
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
(2,840 ) (165 ) 148 (1,298 ) (886 )
Total Stockholders' Equity
136,101 135,022 131,709 100,172 97,658
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
$ 1,503,767 $ 1,478,859 $ 1,454,333 $ 1,341,177 $ 1,305,911

PARAGON COMMERCIAL CORPORATION
LOANS
(Unaudited)

Dec. 31,
Sept. 30,
June 30,
March 31,
Dec. 31,
(In thousands except per share data)
2016
2016
2016
2016
2015
Loans
Construction and land development
$ 79,738 $ 74,605 $ 63,819 $ 68,316 $ 64,704
Commercial real estate:
Commercial real estate
365,569 355,839 340,475 320,791 305,723
Commercial real estate - owner occupied
186,892 178,631 158,612 144,168 147,017
Farmland
- 994 1,002 1,313 1,332
Multifamily, nonresidential and junior liens
89,191 96,643 93,945 86,610 79,171
Total commercial real estate
641,652 632,107 594,034 552,882 533,243
Consumer real estate:
Home equity lines
87,489 86,361 85,883 80,940 78,943
Secured by 1-4 family residential, secured by 1st deeds of trust
195,343 190,913 186,054 171,355 167,709
Secured by 1-4 family residential, secured by 2nd deeds of trust
4,289 4,358 3,656 3,731 3,723
Total consumer real estate
287,121 281,632 275,593 256,026 250,375
Commercial and industrial loans
170,709 164,913 157,640 153,159 153,669
Consumer and other
12,060 12,088 14,258 14,598 14,165
Total loans
1,191,280 1,165,345 1,105,344 1,044,981 1,016,156

PARAGON COMMERCIAL CORPORATION
OTHER FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
Dec. 31,
Sept. 30,
June 30,
March 31,
Dec. 31,
(In thousands, except per share data)
2016
2016
2016
2016
2015
Selected Average Balances:
Average total assets
$ 1,489,487 $ 1,452,526 $ 1,393,722 $ 1,323,397 $ 1,330,518
Average earning assets
1,409,467 1,378,081 1,310,510 1,235,237 1,239,027
Average loans
1,184,790 1,135,448 1,071,325 1,019,396 1,004,627
Average total deposits
408,949 1,123,277 1,019,133 994,219 1,010,610
Average stockholders' equity
135,656 133,494 103,682 99,090 96,688
Performance Ratios:
Return on average assets
0.97 % 0.95 % 1.00 % 0.86 % 0.89 %
Return on average equity
10.68 % 10.35 % 13.41 % 11.46 % 12.26 %
Tangible common equity ratio
9.05 % 9.13 % 9.06 % 7.47 % 7.48 %
Total interest-earning assets
$ 1,435,505 $ 1,408,456 $ 1,373,728 $ 1,257,254 $ 1,224,106
Tax equivalent net interest margin
3.58 % 3.47 % 3.55 % 3.54 % 3.52 %
Overhead to average assets (1)
1.88 % 1.87 % 1.86 % 1.99 % 1.89 %
Efficiency ratio (1)
52.66 % 54.38 % 54.13 % 59.04 % 55.44 %
Credit Ratios:
Non-accrual loans
$ 968 $ 948 $ 1,220 $ 487 $ 513
Other real estate owned
$ 4,740 $ 5,183 $ 5,183 $ 5,228 $ 5,453
Nonperforming assets to total assets
0.38 % 0.41 % 0.44 % 0.43 % 0.46 %
Nonperforming loans to total loans
0.08 % 0.08 % 0.11 % 0.05 % 0.05 %
Loans past due >30 days and still accruing
$ - $ 499 $ 346 $ 127 $ -
Net loan charge-offs (recoveries)
$ 216 $ 452 $ (56 ) $ (289 ) $ (23 )
Annualized net charge-offs (recoveries)/average loans
0.07 % 0.16 % -0.02 % -0.11 % -0.01 %
Allowance for loan losses/total loans
0.66 % 0.68 % 0.72 % 0.76 % 0.75 %
Allowance for loan losses/nonperforming loans
817 % 836 % 655 % 1629 % 1489 %
Per share data:
Average diluted common shares outstanding
5,422,817 5,445,641 4,624,326 4,574,455 4,567,023
End of quarter common shares outstanding
5,450,713 5,450,042 5,449,886 4,581,334 4,581,334
Book value per common share
$ 24.97 $ 24.77 $ 24.17 $ 21.87 $ 21.32

(1) This measure is not a measure recognized under United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, and is therefore considered to be a non-GAAP financial measure. Please see "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a reconciliation of this measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

"Overhead to average assets" is defined as non-interest expense divided by total average assets. We believe overhead to average assets is an important indicator of the Company's level of non-interest expenses relative to the Company's overall size, which assists in the evaluation of our productivity. While the overhead to average assets ratio is a measure of productivity, its value reflects the attributes of the business model we employ.

Three Months Ended
Dec. 31,
Sept. 30,
June 30,
March 31,
Dec. 31,
(Dollars in thousands)
2016
2016
2016
2016
2015
Overhead to Average Assets
Non-interest expense
$ 7,008 $ 6,778 $ 6,488 $ 6,600 $ 6,300
Average Assets
1,489,487 1,452,526 1,393,722 1,323,397 1,330,518
Overhead to Average Assets
1.88 % 1.87 % 1.86 % 1.99 % 1.89 %

"Efficiency ratio" is defined as total non-interest expense divided by adjusted operating revenue. Adjusted operating revenue is equal to net interest income (taxable equivalent) plus non-interest income, adjusted to exclude the impacts of gains and losses on the sale of securities and gains and losses on the sale or write down of foreclosed real estate because we believe the timing of the recognition of those items to be discretionary. We believe the efficiency ratio is important as an indicator of productivity because it shows the amount of revenue generated by our operations for each dollar spent. While the efficiency ratio is a measure of productivity, its value reflects the attributes of the business model we employ.

Three Months Ended
Dec. 31,
Sept. 30,
June 30,
March 31,
Dec. 31,
(Dollars in thousands)
2016
2016
2016
2016
2015
Efficiency Ratio
Non-interest expense
$ 7,008 $ 6,778 $ 6,488 $ 6,600 $ 6,300
Net interest taxable equivalent income
$ 12,676 $ 12,026 $ 11,560 $ 10,785 $ 10,949
Non-interest income
209 438 381 266 102
Net gain (loss) on investment securities
(21 ) - - (85 ) 26
Net loss on sale or writedown of foreclosed real estate
443 - 45 212 287
Adjusted operating revenue
$ 13,307 $ 12,464 $ 11,986 $ 11,178 $ 11,364
Efficiency ratio
52.66 % 54.38 % 54.13 % 59.04 % 55.44 %

SOURCE: Paragon Commercial Corporation