Univest Financial Corporation Reports First Quarter Results

SOUDERTON, Pa., April 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Univest Financial Corporation (“Univest” or the "Corporation") (NASDAQ: UVSP), parent company of Univest Bank and Trust Co. and its insurance, investments and equipment financing subsidiaries, today announced net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was $20.3 million, or $0.68 diluted earnings per share, compared to net income of $32.6 million, or $1.11 diluted earnings per share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

Expansion Markets
The Corporation announced expansion into two new markets with the hiring of Chris Trombetta, Market President of the Western Pennsylvania ("PA") region, and Matthew Cohen, Market President of the Maryland region. Mr. Trombetta joins Univest from a regional bank where he served as SVP and Commercial Banking Team Leader for Western PA. Mr. Cohen joins Univest from a regional bank where he served as the Business Banking Regional Manager in Baltimore. Messrs. Trombetta and Cohen each will be working to identify a site in their respective regions to serve as the Corporation's regional headquarters. In addition to building commercial lending teams, Messrs. Trombetta and Cohen will be working with Univest's various lines of business to ensure that they collectively bring the full suite of products and services into these new markets. Jeffrey Schweitzer, President and CEO, commented on the recent additions and the expansion markets, "We are very excited to welcome Chris and Matt to the Univest family and are thrilled about the opportunity to enter these new markets. The success we have seen in our Central PA region demonstrates our ability to enter and grow in new markets. Our Central PA region started as a lift out of fifteen employees in 2016 and has grown to a team of over sixty-five with $1.2 billion in loans outstanding."

Digital Transformation
During the first quarter of 2022, the Corporation began development of a comprehensive digital platform which will blend our core operating systems together and allow Univest to seamlessly sell existing products and services, digitally, across an expanded footprint. Mr. Schweitzer commented, "This platform will enable us to achieve our long-term vision for a hub and spoke approach, creating an operating model that allows Univest to lean on digital capabilities as the 'spoke' and regional headquarters as the 'hubs'." The Corporation expects to launch the new digital platform by the end of the first quarter of 2023. The first quarter of 2022 results include approximately $779 thousand in expenses related to this initiative.

Dividend and Share Repurchases
On April 27, 2022, Univest declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.21 per share to be paid on May 25, 2022 to shareholders of record as of May 11, 2022. This dividend represents an increase of $0.01 per share, or 5.0%, and is the first change in our dividend since 2006. While the Corporation has not repurchased stock in the open market since March of 2020, the Corporation intends to begin repurchasing approximately 150,000 shares per quarter. There are currently 679,174 shares available for repurchase under the Corporation's existing Repurchase Plan.

Mr. Schweitzer commented, "The dividend increase and planned repurchase activity reflect the strong capital position of the Corporation, the benefit of the rising interest rates on our profitability, and our commitment to returning value to our shareholders."

Paycheck Protection Program
As of March 31, 2022, $10.3 million in Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans remained outstanding. During the quarter, $591 thousand was recorded as net interest income related to these loans, of which $552 thousand was the result of recognition of associated net deferred loan fees upon forgiveness and pay downs of PPP loans totaling $22.0 million. As of March 31, 2022, the Corporation had $272 thousand of net deferred fees on the balance sheet, which represented approximately 1.5% of the initial deferred fee amount.

Loans
Gross loans and leases, excluding PPP loans¹, increased $112.2 million, or 8.5% (annualized), from December 31, 2021 primarily due to increases in commercial real estate and residential mortgage loans. Gross loans and leases, excluding PPP loans¹, increased $503.9 million, or 10.3%, from March 31, 2021 primarily due to increases in commercial, commercial real estate, construction, residential mortgage loans, and lease financings.

Deposits
Total deposits decreased $7.2 million, or 0.5% (annualized), from December 31, 2021, primarily due to decreases in consumer and public funds deposits offset by an increase in commercial deposits. Total deposits increased $736.3 million, or 13.9%, from March 31, 2021, primarily due to increases in commercial, consumer and public funds deposits.
  
Net Interest Income and Margin
Net interest income of $46.7 million for the first quarter of 2022 increased $1.2 million, or 2.7%, from the first quarter of 2021. The increase in net interest income for the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021 was due to loan and investment balance growth outpacing declines in yield on interest-bearing assets and a decrease in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities, offset by a decrease in PPP loan income.

Net interest margin, on a tax-equivalent basis, was 2.89% for the first quarter of 2022, compared to 2.86% for the fourth quarter of 2021 and 3.12% for the first quarter of 2021. Excess liquidity reduced net interest margin by approximately 33 basis points for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 compared to 43 basis points for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 and 11 basis points for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. This excess liquidity was primarily driven by strong growth of deposit balances since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to the various pandemic-related stimulus initiatives. PPP loans had a favorable impact on net interest margin of three basis points for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 compared to eight basis points for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 and four basis points for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. As PPP loans are forgiven, the associated deferred fees are recognized in earnings, which occurred with greater frequency in 2021 as compared to 2022. Excluding the impact of excess liquidity and PPP loans, the net interest margin, on a tax-equivalent basis, was 3.19% for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 compared to 3.21% for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 and 3.19% for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

Noninterest Income
Noninterest income for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was $20.5 million, a decrease of $2.8 million, or 12.0%, compared to the first quarter of 2021.

Net gain on mortgage banking activities decreased $4.0 million, or 67.5%, for the quarter primarily due to a decrease in loan sales and a contraction of margins. Other income decreased $642 thousand, or 46.9%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, primarily due to a decrease of $657 thousand in fees on risk participation agreements for interest rate swaps driven by a decrease in customer demand.

Investment advisory commission and fee income increased $455 thousand, or 9.7%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, primarily due to new customer relationships and appreciation of assets under management, as a majority of investment advisory fees are billed based on the prior quarter-end assets under management balance. Insurance commission and fee income increased $615 thousand, or 12.4%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, primarily due to incremental revenue attributable to the insurance agency the Corporation acquired in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Other service fee income increased $564 thousand, or 25.7%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. Interchange fee income increased $176 thousand for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 due to increased customer activity. Mortgage servicing fees increased $262 thousand for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 driven by reduced amortization as a result of a decrease in prepayment speeds.

Noninterest Expense
Noninterest expense for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was $45.4 million, an increase of $5.9 million, or 14.9%, compared to the first quarter of 2021.

Salaries, benefits and commissions increased $3.5 million, or 14.0%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. These increases reflect our continued investment in revenue producing staff across all business lines, including the acquisition of the Paul I. Schaeffer insurance agency, and annual merit increases. Additionally, during the first quarter of 2022, we incurred $387 thousand of short-term incremental guaranties related to the hiring of new producers in our Mortgage Banking line of business. Finally, the first quarter of 2021 was benefited by $582 thousand of incremental capitalized compensation related to the origination of PPP loans.

Data processing expenses increased $517 thousand, or 17.0%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to continued investments in our end-to-end loan origination solution for loans below $1.0 million, customer relationship management software, internal infrastructure improvements, outsourced data processing solutions, and $103 thousand in support of our digital transformation initiative.

Professional fees increased $390 thousand, or 22.3%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, primarily attributable to $658 thousand in consultant fees spent in support of our digital transformation initiative, as compared to our $276 thousand investment in support of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training initiatives in the quarter ended March 31, 2021. Deposit insurance premiums increased $257 thousand, or 40.4%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, attributable to an increased assessment base primarily driven by excess liquidity.

Other expense increased $993 thousand, or 19.4%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 driven by increases in recruiting costs of $282 thousand due to increased hiring activity and travel and entertainment expenses of $265 thousand, which have begun to normalize as the markets we operate in continue to remain open. Additionally, we incurred costs of $330 thousand as a result of a customer who was defrauded.

Tax Provision
The effective income tax rate was 19.3% for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2021, which were favorably impacted by 8 and 4 basis points, respectively, of discrete tax benefits resulting from equity compensation awards vesting in the respective quarters. Additionally, the effective tax rate reflects the benefits of tax-exempt income from investments in municipal securities and loans and leases.

Asset Quality and Provision for Credit Losses
Nonperforming assets were $31.5 million at March 31, 2022, compared to $34.0 million at December 31, 2021 and $38.2 million at March 31, 2021.

Net loan and lease charge-offs were $76 thousand during the first quarter of 2022 compared to $288 thousand for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. The reversal of provision for credit losses was $3.5 million for the first quarter of 2022, of which $5.7 million (after-tax benefit of $4.5 million), or $0.15 diluted earnings per share, was attributable to favorable changes in economic-related assumptions within the Corporation’s CECL model, partially offset by increases in reserves for loans, unfunded commitments and investment securities. The reversal of provision for credit losses was $11.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, of which $12.9 million (after-tax benefit of $10.2 million), or $0.35 diluted earnings per share, was attributable to favorable changes in economic-related assumptions within the Corporation’s CECL model partially offset by a reserve increase attributable to loan growth.

The allowance for credit losses on loans and leases as a percentage of loans and leases held for investment was 1.26% at March 31, 2022, compared to 1.35% at December 31, 2021, and 1.32% at March 31, 2021. The allowance for credit losses on loans and leases as a percentage of loans and leases held for investment, excluding PPP loans¹, was 1.27% at March 31, 2022 compared to 1.36% at December 31, 2021 and 1.46% at March 31, 2021.

Conference Call
Univest will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2022 results on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. EST. Participants may preregister at https://www.incommglobalevents.com/registration/q4inc/10559/univest-financial-corporation-to-hold-first-quarter-2022-earnings-call/. The general public can access the call by dialing 1-844-200-6205; using Access Code 206799. A replay of the conference call will be available through May 28, 2022 by dialing 1-866-813-9403; using Access Code: 439536.

¹Non-GAAP metric. A reconciliation of this and other non-GAAP financial measures is included within this document.

About Univest Financial Corporation
Univest Financial Corporation (UVSP), including its wholly-owned subsidiary Univest Bank and Trust Co., Member FDIC, has approximately $7.1 billion in assets and $4.6 billion in assets under management and supervision through its Wealth Management lines of business at March 31, 2022. Headquartered in Souderton, Pa. and founded in 1876, the Corporation and its subsidiaries provide a full range of financial solutions for individuals, businesses, municipalities and nonprofit organizations primarily in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Univest delivers these services through a network of more than 50 offices and online at www.univest.net.  

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This press release and the reports Univest files with the Securities and Exchange Commission often contain "forward-looking statements" relating to trends or factors affecting the financial services industry and, specifically, the financial condition and results of operations, business and strategies of Univest. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties in that there are a number of important factors that could cause Univest's future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: (1) competition; (2) inflation and changes in interest rates, which may adversely impact our margins and yields, reduce the fair value of our financial instruments, reduce our loan originations of lead to higher operating costs; (3) changes in asset quality, prepayment speeds, loan sale volumes, charge-offs and credit loss provisions; (4) changes in economic conditions nationally and in our market; (5) economic assumptions that may impact our allowance for credit losses calculation; (6) legislative, regulatory or tax changes that may adversely affect businesses; (7) technological issues that may adversely affect our operations or those of our customers; (8) changes in the securities markets; (9) the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, terrorism or other geopolitical events; or (10) risk factors mentioned in the reports and registration statements Univest files with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Additionally, it is difficult to predict the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. The extent of such impact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, including when the coronavirus can be controlled and abated. As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related adverse local and national economic consequences, we could be subject to any of the following risks, any of which could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations: (1) demand for our products and services may decline; (2) if economic conditions worsen, loan delinquencies, problem assets, and foreclosures may increase and our allowance for credit losses may have to be increased; (3) collateral for loans, especially real estate, may decline in value; (4) the net worth and liquidity of loan guarantors may decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us; (5) a material decrease in net income or a net loss over several quarters could result in the elimination of or a decrease in the rate of our quarterly cash dividend; (6) our wealth management revenues may decline with market turmoil; and (7) our cyber security risks may increase as the result of an increase in the number of employees working remotely. Univest undertakes no obligation to revise these forward-looking statements or to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

(UVSP - ER)

CONTACT: Brian J. Richardson
UNIVEST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
Chief Financial Officer
215-721-2446, [email protected]    

Source: Univest Financial Corporation