OceanFirst Financial Corp. Announces Record Earnings and Increase to Quarterly Dividend

RED BANK, N.J., Oct. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OceanFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:“OCFC”), (the “Company”), the holding company for OceanFirst Bank N.A. (the “Bank”), today announced that net income was $24.1 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2018, as compared to $12.8 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, net income was $45.2 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, as compared to $32.5 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period.

The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 include merger related expenses and branch consolidation expenses, which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $1.6 million and $22.9 million, respectively. Excluding these items, core earnings for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 were $25.7 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, and $68.1 million, or $1.44 per diluted share, respectively.  (Please refer to the Non-GAAP Reconciliation table at the end of this document for details on the earnings impact of merger related and branch consolidation expenses).

Highlights for the quarter are described below:

• Achieved record quarterly core earnings, with core diluted earnings per share increasing 15% over the prior linked quarter.
• Return on average assets for the three months ended September 30, 2018 of 1.26% and return on average tangible stockholders’ equity of 14.39%, while core return on average assets was 1.35% and core return on average tangible stockholders’ equity was 15.35%.
• Increased the quarterly cash dividend by $0.02, or 13%, to $0.17 per share.
• Announced the planned acquisition of Capital Bank of New Jersey (“Capital Bank”). Capital Bank is an in-market opportunity that provides an excellent funding base with a 0.46% average cost of deposits and a 70.0% loan-to-deposit ratio.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher D. Maher, commented on the Company’s results, “We are pleased to report exceptional results for the quarter with record core earnings of $25.7 million and core diluted earnings per share of $0.53. Core expenses decreased by $5.0 million, as compared to the prior linked quarter, benefiting from the branch consolidations and systems integrations completed during the second quarter, and lowering our core efficiency ratio to 53.7%. Our loan to deposit ratio remained steady at 95%, while the cost of deposits increased only four basis points to 0.39%, remaining one of the most competitive in our peer group.” Mr. Maher added, “We announced today, our plans to acquire Capital Bank of New Jersey. This acquisition provides a great opportunity to enhance OceanFirst’s deposit market share and continue our strategic growth plans.”

On October 25, 2018, the Company announced the execution of a definitive agreement and plan of merger (the “merger agreement”) with Capital Bank. The transaction is subject to receipt of the approval of Capital Bank’s stockholders and required regulatory approval. Subject to receipt of those approvals and fulfillment of other customary closing conditions, the Company expects to close the transaction in the first quarter of 2019.

The Company also announced that the Company’s Board of Directors declared its eighty-seventh consecutive quarterly cash dividend on common stock. The dividend, related to the three months ended September 30, 2018, of $0.17 per share will be paid on November 16, 2018 to stockholders of record on November 5, 2018.

Results of Operations

On January 31, 2018, the Company completed its acquisition of Sun Bancorp Inc. (“Sun”) and its results of operations from February 1, 2018 through September 30, 2018 are included in the consolidated results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, but are not included in the results of operations for the corresponding prior year periods.

Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2018, was $24.1 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, as compared to $12.8 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, was $45.2 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, as compared to $32.5 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, for the corresponding prior year period. Net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, included merger related and branch consolidation expenses, which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $1.6 million and $22.9 million, respectively. Net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 included merger related and branch consolidation expenses, which decreased net income, net of tax benefit, by $2.1 million and $8.6 million, respectively. Excluding these items, net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 increased over the same prior year period, primarily due to the acquisition of Sun and the expense savings from the successful integration during 2017 of Ocean Shore Holding Co. (“Ocean Shore”) which was acquired on November 30, 2016.

Net interest income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, increased to $61.5 million and $178.7 million, respectively, as compared to $43.1 million and $126.7 million, respectively, for the same prior year periods, reflecting an increase in interest-earning assets and a higher net interest margin. Average interest-earning assets increased by $1.830 billion and $1.700 billion for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to the same prior year periods. The averages for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, were favorably impacted by $1.636 billion and $1.509 billion, respectively, of interest-earning assets acquired from Sun. Average loans receivable, net, increased by $1.662 billion and $1.464 billion for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to the same prior year periods. The increases attributable to the acquisition of Sun were $1.398 billion and $1.279 billion, respectively. The net interest margin for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 increased to 3.64% and 3.68%, from 3.50% and 3.54%, respectively, for the same prior year periods. The net interest margin benefited from the accretion of purchase accounting adjustments on the Sun acquisition of $2.8 million and $8.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively; and to a lesser extent the impact of Federal Reserve interest rate increases. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the cost of average interest-bearing liabilities increased to 0.74% and 0.66%, respectively, from 0.50% and 0.49%, respectively, in the corresponding prior year periods. The total cost of deposits (including non-interest bearing deposits) was 0.39% and 0.36% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to 0.29% and 0.28%, respectively, in the same prior year periods.

Net interest income for the three months ended September 30, 2018, increased by $57,000, as compared to the prior linked quarter, as average interest-earning assets increased by $42.5 million. The net interest margin decreased to 3.64% for the three months ended September 30, 2018, as compared to 3.70% for the prior linked quarter. The total cost of deposits (including non-interest bearing deposits) was 0.39% for the three months ended September 30, 2018, as compared to 0.35% for three months ended June 30, 2018.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the provision for loan losses was $907,000 and $3.0 million, respectively, as compared to $1.2 million and $3.0 million, respectively, for the corresponding prior year periods, and $706,000 in the prior linked quarter. Net loan charge-offs were $777,000 and $1.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to net loan charge-offs of $1.1 million and $1.6 million, respectively, in the corresponding prior year periods, and net loan charge-offs of $832,000 in the prior linked quarter. Non-performing loans totaled $19.2 million at September 30, 2018, as compared to $18.1 million at June 30, 2018 and $15.1 million at September 30, 2017.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, other income increased to $8.3 million and $26.1 million, respectively, as compared to $7.4 million and $20.3 million, respectively, for the corresponding prior year periods. The increases were primarily due to the impact of the Sun acquisition, which added $2.3 million and $6.1 million to other income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to the same prior year periods. Excluding the Sun acquisition, the decrease in other income for the three months ended September 30, 2018, was primarily due to an increase in the loss from real estate operations of $2.0 million, of which $900,000 related to a write-down attributable to a hotel, golf, and banquet facility, partially offset by increases in fees and service charges of $449,000. Excluding the Sun acquisition, the decrease in other income for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, was primarily due to an increase in the loss from real estate operations of $2.8 million, of which $1.4 million related to the year-to-date write-down on the property noted above, partially offset by increases in fees and service charges of $763,000, an increase in the gain on sales of loans of $580,000, mostly related to the sale of one non-performing commercial loan relationship during the first quarter of 2018, rental income of $491,000 received primarily for January and February 2018 on the Company’s acquired administrative office, and increased bankcard services revenue of $443,000.

For the three months ended September 30, 2018, other income decreased by $598,000, as compared to the prior linked quarter. The decrease was primarily due to an increase in the loss from real estate operations of $601,000, decreases in fees and service charges of $405,000, and the decrease in the gain  on investment securities of $245,000, partially offset by net fees on loan level interest rate swap transactions of $678,000. The decrease in fees and service charges is the result of the planned temporary waiver of fees and service charges on Sun accounts during the transition to the Bank’s account products.

Operating expenses increased to $39.5 million and $147.3 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to $30.7 million and $98.8 million, respectively, in the same prior year periods. Operating expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, included $2.0 million and $28.8 million, respectively, of merger related and branch consolidation expenses, as compared to $3.2 million and $13.2 million, respectively, in the same prior year periods. Excluding the impact of merger and branch consolidation expenses, the increase in operating expenses over the prior year was primarily due to the Sun acquisition, which added $8.2 million and $27.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively. Excluding the Sun acquisition, the remaining increase in operating expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2018 over the prior year period was primarily due to increases in compensation and employee benefits expense of $852,000 as a result of higher incentive and stock plan expenses, occupancy expense of $402,000, equipment expense of $296,000, and marketing expenses of $208,000. Excluding the Sun acquisition, the remaining increase in operating expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 over the prior year period was primarily due to increases in compensation and employee benefits expense of $3.2 million as a result of higher incentive and stock plan expenses, occupancy expenses of $1.2 million, and service bureau expense of $838,000.

For the three months ended September 30, 2018, operating expenses, excluding merger and branch consolidation expenses, decreased by $5.0 million, as compared to the prior linked quarter. The decrease was primarily due to the full integration of Sun to the Bank’s platform with decreases in compensation and employee benefits expense of $3.6 million, service bureau expenses of $542,000, professional fees of $331,000, and check card processing expense of $317,000.

The provision for income taxes was $5.3 million and $9.3 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to $5.7 million and $12.7 million, respectively, for the same prior year periods. The effective tax rate was 18.0% and 17.1% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, as compared to 30.8% and 28.0%, respectively, for the same prior year periods. The lower effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 primarily resulted from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Reform”) enacted during the fourth quarter of 2017. In addition, the State of New Jersey enacted new legislation on July 1, 2018, creating a temporary surtax effective for tax years 2018 through 2021, and requiring companies to file combined tax returns beginning 2019. The new legislation did not impact the Company’s deferred tax asset or state income tax expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. The Company will continue to evaluate the effect of this legislation on tax expense in future periods.

Financial Condition

Total assets increased by $2.147 billion, to $7.563 billion at September 30, 2018, from $5.416 billion at December 31, 2017, primarily as a result of the acquisition of Sun, which added $2.043 billion to total assets. Restricted equity investments increased by $37.4 million, to $57.1 million at September 30, 2018, from $19.7 million at December 31, 2017, primarily due to the addition of Federal Reserve Bank stock as a result of converting to a national bank charter. Loans receivable, net, increased by $1.578 billion, to $5.544 billion at September 30, 2018 from $3.966 billion at December 31, 2017, primarily due to acquired loans of $1.517 billion as well as purchased loans totaling $146.7 million. As part of the acquisition of Sun, the Company’s goodwill balance increased to $338.1 million at September 30, 2018, from $150.5 million at December 31, 2017, and the core deposit intangible increased to $18.0 million, from $8.9 million at December 31, 2017.

Deposits increased by $1.511 billion, to $5.854 billion at September 30, 2018, from $4.343 billion at December 31, 2017, due to acquired deposits of $1.616 billion. The loan-to-deposit ratio at September 30, 2018 was 94.7%, as compared to 91.3% at December 31, 2017. Federal Home Loan Bank advances increased by $168.1 million, to $456.8 million at September 30, 2018, from $288.7 million at December 31, 2017 due to the acquisition of Sun and to fund loan growth.

Stockholders’ equity increased to $1.030 billion at September 30, 2018, as compared to $601.9 million at December 31, 2017. The acquisition of Sun added $402.6 million to stockholders’ equity. At September 30, 2018, there were 1.8 million shares available for repurchase under the Company’s stock repurchase programs. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company did not repurchase any shares under these repurchase programs. During 2018, the Company contributed an additional $8.4 million to the existing Employee Stock Ownership Plan. The purchased shares will be allocated to employees over the next nine years. Tangible stockholders’ equity per common share increased to $13.93 at September 30, 2018, as compared to $13.58 at December 31, 2017.

Asset Quality

The Company’s non-performing loans decreased to $19.2 million at September 30, 2018, as compared to $20.9 million at December 31, 2017.  The decrease was primarily due to the sale of one commercial loan relationship during the first quarter of 2018. Non-performing loans do not include $9.7 million of purchased credit-impaired (“PCI”) loans acquired in the Sun, Ocean Shore, Cape Bancorp, Inc. (“Cape”), and Colonial American Bank (“Colonial American”) acquisitions (“Acquisition Transactions”). The Company’s other real estate owned totaled $6.2 million at September 30, 2018, as compared to $8.2 million at December 31, 2017. The decrease was primarily due to a $1.4 million write-down attributable to a hotel, golf, and banquet facility. The Company has executed a letter of intent with a qualified buyer at the current carrying value with the closing expected prior to year-end.

At September 30, 2018, the Company’s allowance for loan losses was 0.30% of total loans, a decrease from 0.40% at December 31, 2017.  These ratios exclude existing fair value credit marks of $34.4 million at September 30, 2018 on loans acquired from the Acquisition Transactions, and $17.5 million at December 31, 2017 on loans acquired from Ocean Shore, Cape and Colonial American. These loans were acquired at fair value with no related allowance for loan losses. The allowance for loan losses as a percent of total non-performing loans was 87.43% at September 30, 2018 as compared to 75.35% at December 31, 2017.

Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Reported amounts are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”).  The Company’s management believes that the supplemental non-GAAP information, which consists of reported net income excluding merger related expenses, branch consolidation expenses and additional income tax expense related to Tax Reform enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017, which can vary from period to period, provides a better comparison of period to period operating performance. Additionally, the Company believes this information is utilized by regulators and market analysts to evaluate a company’s financial condition and therefore, such information is useful to investors.  These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial results in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures which may be presented by other companies.  Please refer to Non-GAAP Reconciliation table at the end of this document for details on the earnings impact of these items.

Conference Call

As previously announced, the Company will host an earnings conference call on Friday, October 26, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time.  The direct dial number for the call is (888) 338-7143.  For those unable to participate in the conference call, a replay will be available.  To access the replay, dial (877) 344-7529, Replay Conference Number 10124270 from one hour after the end of the call until January 24, 2019. The conference call, as well as the replay, are also available (listen-only) by internet webcast at www.oceanfirst.com in the Investor Relations section.

OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s subsidiary, OceanFirst Bank N.A., founded in 1902, is a $7.6 billion regional bank operating throughout New Jersey, metropolitan Philadelphia and metropolitan New York City.  OceanFirst Bank delivers commercial and residential financing solutions, wealth management and deposit services and is one of the largest and oldest community-based financial institutions headquartered in New Jersey.

OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s press releases are available by visiting us at www.oceanfirst.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
           
In addition to historical information, this news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “will,” “should,” “may,” “view,” “opportunity,” “potential,” or similar expressions or expressions of confidence. The Company’s ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on the operations of the Company and its subsidiaries include, but are not limited to: changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, levels of unemployment in the Bank’s lending area, real estate market values in the Bank’s lending area, future natural disasters and increases to flood insurance premiums, the level of prepayments on loans and mortgage-backed securities, legislative/regulatory changes, monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the quality or composition of the loan or investment portfolios, demand for loan products, deposit flows, competition, demand for financial services in the Company’s market area, accounting principles and guidelines and the Bank’s ability to successfully integrate acquired operations. These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, under Item 1A - Risk Factors and elsewhere, and subsequent securities filings and should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

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NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION

COMPUTATION OF TOTAL TANGIBLE EQUITY TO TOTAL TANGIBLE ASSETS

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ACQUISITION DATE - FAIR VALUE BALANCE SHEET

The following table summarizes the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at the date of the acquisition for Sun, net of the total consideration paid (in thousands):

The calculation of goodwill is subject to change for up to one year after the date of acquisition as additional information relative to the closing date estimates and uncertainties become available. As the Company finalizes its review of the acquired assets and liabilities, certain adjustments to the recorded carrying values may be required.

Company Contact:

Michael J. Fitzpatrick
Chief Financial Officer
OceanFirst Financial Corp.
Tel:  (732) 240-4500, ext. 7506
Email: Mfitzpatrick@oceanfirst.com