West Bancorporation, Inc. Announces Record Net Income, Declares Increased and Record Quarterly Dividend


WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, April 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq:WTBA), parent company of West Bank, today reported that first quarter 2018 net income was $7.4 million, or $0.45 per diluted common share.  This is the highest quarterly net income ever recorded by the Company and compares to first quarter 2017 net income of $6.1 million, or $0.37 per diluted common share.  First quarter 2018 net income was positively impacted by a reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.  On April 25, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.20 per common share, an increase of $0.02 from the prior quarter.  The dividend is payable on May 23, 2018, to stockholders of record on May 9, 2018.

“We are excited about our first quarter 2018 results,” commented Dave Nelson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.  “As we celebrate West Bank’s 125th anniversary in 2018, management remains committed to achieving a high level of earnings and creating value for our stockholders.  Our strong performance allowed us to increase our second quarter dividend to $0.20 per common share.  This is an 11 percent increase in the quarterly dividend from the prior dividend and the highest ever paid by the Company.”

Brad Winterbottom, West Bank President, said, “We continue to focus on creating and expanding long-term community banking relationships in all our markets.  We are committed to providing high levels of service to our valued customers.  We believe our loan portfolio continues to have a high level of credit quality, our loan pipeline is strong, and we are well positioned for long-term growth.  We are also pleased with our growth in trust revenues.”

Eastern Iowa Market President, Jim Conard, commented, “Commercial development activity in our market is thriving, with West Bank providing financing for several major construction projects in the market.  Our experience and market leadership in construction and development financing has helped fuel 4.8 percent year-to-date growth in our loan portfolio during the first quarter of 2018, and our pipeline of loans for both new and existing commercial clients continues to grow.”

“West Bank in Rochester followed up on a very good year in 2017 with solid momentum in the first quarter of 2018.  Loans outstanding in the Rochester market exceeded $157 million as of March 31, 2018, an increase of over 8 percent since the beginning of the year,” said Mike Zinser, Rochester Market President.  “In addition to healthy loan activity in business banking, our personal banking team continues to produce deposit growth in the Rochester market.  Our business and retail pipelines are thriving, both in dollars and number of prospective customers wanting to do business with West Bank.”  Zinser concluded, “As we celebrate our fifth anniversary in Rochester this month, we are pleased to have provided over $250 million in loans to Rochester businesses since 2013.  We are very proud of the first class team we have assembled, the customers who have joined us and the solid reputation we continue to hold in the Rochester business community.”

The Company filed its report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission today.  Please refer to that document for a more in-depth discussion of our financial results.  The Form 10-Q is available on the Investor Relations section of West Bank’s website at www.westbankstrong.com.

The Company will discuss its financial results on a conference call scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Central Time tomorrow, Friday, April 27, 2018. The telephone number for the conference call is 888-339-0814.  A recording of the call will be available until May 11, 2018, by dialing 877-344-7529.  The replay passcode is 10115036.

About West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq:WTBA)
West Bancorporation, Inc. is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa.  Serving Iowans since 1893, West Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of West Bancorporation, Inc., is a community bank that focuses on lending, deposit services, and trust services for consumers and small- to medium-sized businesses.  West Bank has eight offices in the Des Moines metropolitan area, one office in Iowa City, Iowa, one office in Coralville, Iowa, and one office in Rochester, Minnesota.

Certain statements in this report, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to the Company’s business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.  Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this report.  These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “future,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “strategy,” “plan,” “opportunity,” “will be,” “will likely result,” “will continue” or similar references, or references to estimates, predictions or future events.  Such forward-looking statements are based upon certain underlying assumptions, risks and uncertainties.  Because of the possibility that the underlying assumptions are incorrect or do not materialize as expected in the future, actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements.  Risks and uncertainties that may affect future results include: interest rate risk; competitive pressures; pricing pressures on loans and deposits; changes in credit and other risks posed by the Company’s loan and investment portfolios, including declines in commercial or residential real estate values or changes in the allowance for loan losses dictated by new market conditions or regulatory requirements; actions of bank and nonbank competitors; changes in local, national and international economic conditions; changes in legal and regulatory requirements, limitations and costs; changes in customers’ acceptance of the Company’s products and services; cyber-attacks; unexpected outcomes of existing or new litigation involving the Company; and any other risks described in the “Risk Factors” sections of this and other reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update such forward-looking statements to reflect current or future events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY    
Financial Information (unaudited)    
(in thousands)    
     
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS March 31, 2018 March 31, 2017
Assets    
Cash and due from banks $36,978  $34,994 
Federal funds sold 488  7,536 
Investment securities available for sale, at fair value 482,787  261,426 
Investment securities held to maturity, at amortized cost   48,366 
Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost 10,130  12,110 
Loans 1,502,283  1,446,735 
Allowance for loan losses (16,465) (16,427)
Loans, net 1,485,818  1,430,308 
Premises and equipment, net 22,682  23,005 
Bank-owned life insurance 33,776  33,121 
Other assets 19,366  16,953 
Total assets $2,092,025  $1,867,819 
     
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity    
Deposits:    
Noninterest-bearing $394,100  $453,604 
Interest-bearing:    
Demand 314,546  256,777 
Savings 854,941  699,338 
Time of $250 or more 26,224  12,456 
Other time 148,347  106,579 
Total deposits 1,738,158  1,528,754 
Short-term borrowings 51,820  37,425 
Long-term borrowings 118,805  124,956 
Other liabilities 5,000  6,912 
Stockholders’ equity 178,242  169,772 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $2,092,025  $1,867,819 


WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY   
Financial Information (continued) (unaudited)    
(in thousands)    
     
  Three Months Ended March 31,
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME 2018 2017
Interest income    
Loans, including fees $16,474  $14,969 
Investment securities 3,175  1,805 
Other 81  17 
Total interest income 19,730  16,791 
Interest expense    
Deposits 3,012  1,195 
Short-term borrowings 27  46 
Long-term borrowings 1,275  1,161 
Total interest expense 4,314  2,402 
Net interest income 15,416  14,389 
Provision for loan losses 150   
Net interest income after provision for loan losses 15,266  14,389 
Noninterest income    
Service charges on deposit accounts 649  600 
Debit card usage fees 399  440 
Trust services 445  392 
Increase in cash value of bank-owned life insurance 158  154 
Gain from bank-owned life insurance   307 
Realized investment securities losses, net   (3)
Other income 262  270 
Total noninterest income 1,913  2,160 
Noninterest expense    
Salaries and employee benefits 4,513  4,337 
Occupancy 1,223  1,097 
Data processing 676  688 
FDIC insurance 162  213 
Other expenses 1,713  1,708 
Total noninterest expense 8,287  8,043 
Income before income taxes 8,892  8,506 
Income taxes 1,508  2,400 
Net income $7,384  $6,106 


WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY  
Financial Information (continued) (unaudited)        
       
  PER COMMON SHARE MARKET INFORMATION (1)
  Net Income      
  Basic Diluted Dividends High Low
2018          
1st Quarter $0.46  $0.45  $0.18  $26.85  $23.65 
           
2017          
4th Quarter $0.26  $0.26  $0.18  $28.00  $23.40 
3rd Quarter 0.40  0.39  0.18  24.75  20.90 
2nd Quarter 0.39  0.39  0.18  24.60  21.40 
1st Quarter 0.38  0.37  0.17  24.90  20.60 

(1)  The prices shown are the high and low sale prices for the Company’s common stock, which trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol WTBA.  The market quotations, reported by Nasdaq, do not include retail markup, markdown or commissions.

  Three Months Ended March 31,
SELECTED FINANCIAL MEASURES 2018 2017
Return on average assets 1.42% 1.35%
Return on average equity 16.79% 14.80%
Net interest margin 3.16% 3.48%
Efficiency ratio* 47.04% 46.84%
     
  As of March 31,
  2018 2017
Texas ratio* 1.08% 0.49%
Allowance for loan losses ratio 1.10% 1.14%
Tangible common equity ratio 8.52% 9.09%

* A lower ratio is more desirable.

Definitions of ratios:

  • Return on average assets - annualized net income divided by average assets.
  • Return on average equity - annualized net income divided by average stockholders’ equity.
  • Net interest margin(1) - annualized tax-equivalent net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.
  • Efficiency ratio(1) - noninterest expense (excluding other real estate owned expense) divided by noninterest income (excluding net securities gains and gains/losses on disposition of premises and equipment) plus tax-equivalent net interest income.
  • Texas ratio - total nonperforming assets divided by tangible common equity plus the allowance for loan losses.
  • Allowance for loan losses ratio - allowance for loan losses divided by total loans.
  • Tangible common equity ratio - common equity less intangible assets (none held) divided by tangible assets.

                (1) Non-GAAP measures - see reconciliation below.

WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Financial Information (continued) (unaudited)
(dollars in thousands)

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This report contains references to financial measures that are not defined in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  The following table reconciles the non-GAAP financial measures of net interest income, net interest margin and efficiency ratio on a fully taxable equivalent (FTE) basis to GAAP.

  Three Months Ended March 31,
  2018 2017
Reconciliation of net interest income and annualized net interest margin on an FTE basis to GAAP:    
Net interest income (GAAP) $15,416  $14,389 
Tax-equivalent adjustment (1) 289  618 
Net interest income on an FTE basis (non-GAAP) $15,705  $15,007 
Average interest-earning assets $2,012,694  $1,746,525 
Net interest margin on an FTE basis (non-GAAP) 3.16% 3.48%
     
Reconciliation of efficiency ratio on an FTE basis to GAAP:    
Net interest income on an FTE basis (non-GAAP) $15,705  $15,007 
Noninterest income 1,913  2,160 
Adjustment for realized investment securities losses, net   3 
Adjusted income $17,618  $17,170 
Noninterest expense $8,287  $8,043 
Efficiency ratio on an adjusted and FTE basis (non-GAAP) (2) 47.04% 46.84%


(1) Computed on a tax-equivalent basis using a federal income tax rate of 21 percent in 2018 and 35 percent in 2017, adjusted to reflect the effect of the nondeductible interest expense associated with owning tax-exempt securities and loans.  Management believes the presentation of this non-GAAP measure provides supplemental useful information for proper understanding of the financial results, as it enhances the comparability of income arising from taxable and nontaxable sources.
(2) Efficiency ratio expresses noninterest expense as a percent of fully taxable equivalent net interest income and noninterest income, excluding specific noninterest income and expenses. Management believes the presentation of this non-GAAP measure provides supplemental useful information for proper understanding of the financial results, as it enhances the comparability of income and expenses arising from taxable and nontaxable sources.

 

For more information contact:
Doug Gulling, Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (515) 222-2309