Southside Bancshares, Inc. Announces Financial Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017

TYLER, Texas, April 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Southside Bancshares, Inc. (“Southside” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:SBSI) today reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2017.

Southside reported record net income of $15.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, an increase of $1.5 million, or 10.9%, compared to $13.5 million for the same period in 2016.  Diluted earnings per common share were $0.52 for the three months ended March 31, 2017, an increase of $0.01, or 2.0%, compared to $0.51 for the three months ended March 31, 2016.

The return on average shareholders’ equity for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was 11.57%, compared to 11.96% for the same period in 2016.  The return on average assets was 1.08% for the three months ended March 31, 2017, compared to 1.07% for the same period in 2016.

“Outstanding first quarter financial results should provide an excellent foundation on which to build 2017,” stated Lee R. Gibson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southside.  “Our first quarter results included record net income, a five basis point increase in the net interest margin on a linked quarter basis, an increase in net interest income on a linked quarter basis, a 51.60% efficiency ratio reflective of our ongoing cost containment initiative and a continued decrease in our ratio of nonperforming assets to total assets to 0.25%.”

“Notwithstanding the level of payoffs during the first quarter, our loan pipeline remains healthy and we anticipate loan growth during the remainder of 2017,” Mr. Gibson concluded.

Loans and Deposits

For the three months ended March 31, 2017, total loans decreased by $17.6 million, or 0.7%, compared to December 31, 2016.  The net decrease in our loans was comprised primarily of decreases of $17.8 million of construction loans, $14.4 million of 1-4 family residential loans, $12.3 million of loans to individuals and $1.2 million of municipal loans, which were partially offset by increases in commercial real estate loans of $28.3 million.  Loans with oil and gas industry exposure totaled 1.14% of the loan portfolio at March 31, 2017, compared to 1.09% at December 31, 2016.

Nonperforming assets decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2017 by $1.0 million, or 6.8%, to $14.1 million, or 0.25% of total assets, compared to 0.27% of total assets at December 31, 2016.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the allowance for loan losses increased modestly by $0.6 million, or 3.2%, to $18.5 million, or 0.73% of total loans, compared to 0.70% of total loans at December 31, 2016.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, deposits, net of brokered deposits, increased $87.3 million, or 2.5%, compared to December 31, 2016.

Net Interest Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017

Net interest income decreased $1.3 million, or 3.6%, to $35.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, compared to $36.6 million for the same period in 2016.  The decrease in net interest income was the result of the increase in interest expense of $3.2 million associated with short- and long-term obligations and deposits, which were partially offset by an increase in interest income of $1.9 million, which was a result of the increase in interest income from the securities portfolio, compared to the same period in 2016.  For the three months ended March 31, 2017, our net interest spread decreased to 2.93%, compared to 3.40% for the same period in 2016.  Our net interest margin decreased to 3.08% for the three months ended March 31, 2017, compared to 3.51% for the same period in 2016.  Both the decrease in net interest margin and spread was due to higher rates paid on interest bearing liabilities along with a decrease in the yield on interest earning assets.  The decrease in yield on interest earning assets was partially due to lower purchase accretion in 2017 and the $1.3 million recovery of interest income on the payoff of a long-term nonaccrual loan during the first quarter of 2016.  The increase in rates paid on interest bearing liabilities was a direct result of the subordinated debt issuance, and to a lesser extent, the decrease in the purchase accretion on the certificate of deposit premium, both having occurred during the third quarter of 2016.  The net interest spread and margin on a linked quarter basis increased from 2.90% and 3.03%, respectively, for the three months ended December 31,2016, to 2.93% and 3.08% respectively, for the three months ended March 31,2017.

Net Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017

Net income increased $1.5 million, or 10.9%, for the three months ended March 31, 2017, to $15.0 million compared to the same period in 2016.  The increase was primarily the result of a $1.9 million increase in interest income, a $1.2 million decrease in provision for loan losses and a $3.5 million decrease in noninterest expense, partially offset by a $3.2 million increase in interest expense and a $1.9 million decrease in noninterest income.

Noninterest income decreased $1.9 million, or 16.6%, for the three months ended March 31, 2017 compared to the same period in 2016, due primarily to the decrease in net gain on sale of securities available for sale.

Noninterest expense decreased $3.5 million, or 12.1%, for the three months ended March 31, 2017, compared to the same period in 2016, due primarily to decreases in salaries and employee benefits, occupancy expense, professional fees and other noninterest expense.  The decrease in salaries and employee benefits is due to a one-time expense of $1.7 million related to the acceptance of early retirement packages of 16 employees during the three months ended March 31, 2016.  Occupancy expense decreased due to lower rent expense.  Professional fees decreased due to decreases in consulting fees associated with the process improvement and re-branding efforts initiated in January 2016.  Other noninterest expense decreased primarily due to a reduction in the provision expense for losses on unfunded loan commitments, losses on other real estate owned, check card losses and a decrease in core deposits intangible amortization expense.

Conference Call

Southside's management team will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2017 financial results on Friday, April 28, 2017 at 9:00 am CDT.  The call can be accessed by dialing 844-775-2540 and by identifying the conference ID number 95297061 or by identifying “Southside Bancshares, Inc., First Quarter 2017 Earnings Call.”  To listen to the call via web-cast, register at www.southside.com/about/investor-relations.

For those unable to listen to the conference call live, a recording of the conference call will be available from approximately 3:00 pm CDT April 28, 2017 through May 10, 2017 by accessing the company website, www.southside.com/about/investor-relations.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Our accounting and reporting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States and prevailing practices in the banking industry.  However, certain non-GAAP measures are used by management to supplement the evaluation of our performance.  These include the following fully-taxable equivalent measures: tax-equivalent net interest income, tax-equivalent net interest margin, tax-equivalent net interest spread, and tax-equivalent efficiency ratio, which include the effects of taxable-equivalent adjustments using a federal income tax rate of 35% to increase tax-exempt interest income to a tax-equivalent basis.  Whenever we present a non-GAAP financial measure in an SEC filing, we are also required to present the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP and reconcile the differences between the non-GAAP financial measure and such comparable GAAP measure.  Tax-equivalent adjustments are reported in notes 2 and 3 to the Average Balances with Average Yields and Rates tables under Results of Operations below.

Tax-equivalent net interest income, net interest margin and net interest spread.  Net interest income on a tax-equivalent basis is a non-GAAP measure that adjusts for the tax-favored status of net interest income from loans and investments.  We believe this measure to be the preferred industry measurement of net interest income and it enhances comparability of net interest income arising from taxable and tax-exempt sources.  The most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP is our net interest income.  Net interest margin on a tax-equivalent basis is net interest income on a tax-equivalent basis divided by average interest-earning assets on a tax-equivalent basis.  The most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP is our net interest margin.  Net interest spread on a tax-equivalent basis is the difference in the average yield on average interest-earning assets on a tax equivalent basis and the average rate paid on average interest-bearing liabilities.  The most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP is our net interest spread.

Efficiency ratio.  The efficiency ratio, calculated on a tax-equivalent basis, is a non-GAAP measure that provides a measure of productivity in the banking industry.  This ratio is calculated to measure the cost of generating one dollar of revenue.  The ratio is designed to reflect the percentage of one dollar which must be expended to generate that dollar of revenue.  We calculate this ratio by dividing noninterest expense, excluding amortization of intangibles and certain non-recurring expense by the sum of net interest income on a tax-equivalent basis and noninterest income, excluding gains (losses) on sales of investment securities and certain non-recurring impairments.

These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered alternatives to GAAP-basis financial statements, and other bank holding companies may define or calculate these non-GAAP measures or similar measures differently.

About Southside Bancshares, Inc.

Southside Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company with approximately $5.66 billion in assets as of March 31, 2017, that owns 100% of Southside Bank.  Southside Bank currently has 60 banking centers in Texas and operates a network of 70 ATMs.

To learn more about Southside Bancshares, Inc., please visit our investor relations website at www.southside.com/about/investor-relations.  Our investor relations site provides a detailed overview of our activities, financial information and historical stock price data.  To receive e-mail notification of company news, events and stock activity, please register on the E-mail Notification portion of the website.  Questions or comments may be directed to Deborah Wilkinson at (817) 367-4962, or deborah.wilkinson@southside.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements of other than historical fact that are contained in this document and in other written material, press releases and oral statements issued by or on behalf of the Company may be considered to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of and subject to the safe harbor protections of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, nor should they be relied upon as representing management’s views as of any subsequent date.  These statements may include words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “anticipate,” “appear,” “believe,” “could,” “should,” “may,” “likely,” “intend,” “probability,” “risk,” “target,” “objective,” “plans,” “potential,” and similar expressions.  Forward-looking statements are statements with respect to the Company’s beliefs, plans, expectations, objectives, goals, anticipations, assumptions and estimates about the Company's future performance and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements.  For example, discussions about trends in asset quality, capital, liquidity, the pace of loan and revenue growth, the Company's ability to sell nonperforming assets, expense reductions, the benefits of the Share Repurchase Plan, planned operational efficiencies, earnings and certain market risk disclosures, including the impact of interest rates and other economic factors, are based upon information presently available to management and are dependent on choices about key model characteristics and assumptions and are subject to various limitations.  By their nature, certain of the market risk disclosures are only estimates and could be materially different from what actually occurs in the future.

Additional information concerning the Company and its business, including additional factors that could materially affect the Company’s financial results, is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, under “Forward-Looking Information” and Item 1A.  “Risk Factors,” and in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company disclaims any obligation to update any factors or to announce publicly the result of revisions to any of the forward-looking statements included herein to reflect future events or developments.

Loan Portfolio Composition

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The “Average Balances with Average Yields and Rates” tables that follow show average earning assets and interest bearing liabilities together with the average yield on the earning assets and the average rate of the interest bearing liabilities (dollars in thousands).

Note:  As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, loans totaling $7,261 and $8,280, respectively, were on nonaccrual status.  Our policy is to reverse previously accrued but unpaid interest on nonaccrual loans; thereafter, interest income is recorded to the extent received when appropriate.

Note:  As of September 30, 2016 and June 30, 2016, loans totaling $8,536 and $11,767, respectively, were on nonaccrual status.  Our policy is to reverse previously accrued but unpaid interest on nonaccrual loans; thereafter, interest income is recorded to the extent received when appropriate.

Note:  As of March 31, 2016, loans totaling $21,927 were on nonaccrual status.  Our policy is to reverse previously accrued but unpaid interest on nonaccrual loans; thereafter, interest income is recorded to the extent received when appropriate.