WaFd Announces Quarterly Earnings Per Share of $0.54

In This Article:

SEATTLE, January 16, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaFd, Inc. (Nasdaq: WAFD):

Q1 Highlights

$47 Million

 

 

$0.54

 

 

0.69%

 

 

6.42%

Net Income

 

 

Diluted Earnings per
Common Share

 

 

Return on Average
Assets

 

 

Return on Average
Common Equity

 

 

Net Interest Income and NIM

  • $155 million net interest income for the quarter compared to $173 million in Q4 FY24.

  • Net interest margin at 2.39% for the quarter compared to 2.62% for Q4 FY24.

 

Credit Quality

  • Non-performing assets at 0.3% of total assets - similar to prior quarter.

  • No provision booked for the quarter and NCOs were minimal.

 

 

 

 

 

Non-Interest Income and Expense

  • Non-interest expense up due to $5.4 million in one-time restructuring charges, partially offset by lower FDIC insurance premiums due to a smaller balance sheet.

 

Shareholder Returns and Stock Activity

  • On December 6, 2024, the Company paid a cash dividend of $0.26 per share, 167th consecutive quarterly dividend paid.

 

 

WaFd, Inc. (Nasdaq: WAFD) (the "Company"), parent company of Washington Federal Bank ("WaFd Bank" or the "Bank"), today announced quarterly earnings of $47,267,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, a decrease of 23% from net earnings of $61,140,000 for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and a decrease of 19% from net earnings of $58,453,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. After the effect of dividends on preferred stock, net income available for common shareholders was $0.54 per diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $0.71 per diluted share for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, a $0.17 or 24% decrease, and $0.85 per diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, a $0.31 or 36% decrease in fully diluted earnings per common share. The current quarter results reflect one-time charges of $5,390,000 as a result of restructuring activities described below. After adjusting for these charges and other non-operating items, earnings per share for the quarter was $0.62 per diluted share. For a reconciliation, see the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below.

"In the first quarter of fiscal 2025 our results were impacted by greater than expected margin compression. On a linked quarter basis our margin contracted from 2.62% to 2.39%. Excluding a valuation adjustment to hedges obtained in the Luther Burbank acquisition, the Q1 margin would have been 2.45%. The Federal Reserve started reducing interest rates with a 50 basis point cut on September 18, 2024, followed by two 25 basis point cuts in October and December. With each cut, our variable rate assets (loans and investments) repriced quickly, while the repricing of our liabilities has lagged, causing margin compression. On a linked quarter basis, the yield on earning assets declined by 36 basis points, while the yield on paying liabilities decreased by only 14 basis points. We are pleased to report that credit quality remains strong with minimal net charge-offs and delinquencies of only 0.30%. Capital has grown nicely over the last three quarters, with tangible common equity to tangible assets increasing from 8.31% to 9.45% since our acquisition in March of last year.

Today we are announcing a significant shift in focus for our business model. After over 100 years of making home loans, we are exiting the single-family mortgage lending market and have recorded a restructuring expense of $5.4 million this quarter. As a result, by the end of June 2025, we anticipate annual expense savings of approximately $17 million. Importantly, we will retain all existing home loans and HELOC’s on our books, ensuring no disruption for our current customers. We have come to this conclusion after thoughtful deliberation for two primary reasons. First, home loans are seen as a commodity with nearly 70% of originations sold to US government sponsored enterprises like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which has caused profitability to decrease and credit risk to increase. Second, technology has made it easy for consumers to refinance (which is a good thing for homeowners), but it increases the interest rate risk for banks that hold mortgages. Our aim is to always offer products and services to our customers where WaFd Bank can add value, and we have concluded that we no longer do so in the mortgage sector. Exiting mortgage lending and right sizing other support areas will result in an 8% reduction in our workforce.