FACT-MASTER
5 months ago
OZK: Bank OZK Announces Record Second Quarter 2024 Earnings and $200 Million Stock Repurchase Program
Bank OZK
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bank OZK (the “Bank”) (Nasdaq: OZK) today announced that net income available to common stockholders for the second quarter of 2024 was a record $173.5 million, a 3.3% increase from $167.9 million for the second quarter of 2023. For the first six months of 2024, net income available to common stockholders was $345.0 million, a 3.4% increase from $333.8 million for the first six months of 2023.
Diluted earnings per common share for the second quarter of 2024 were a record $1.52, a 3.4% increase from $1.47 for the second quarter of 2023. For the first six months of 2024, diluted earnings per common share were $3.03, a 5.2% increase from $2.88 for the first six months of 2023.
Pre-tax pre-provision net revenue (“PPNR”) was a record $279.3 million for the second quarter of 2024, a 7.7% increase from $259.5 million for the second quarter of 2023. For the first six months of 2024, PPNR was $552.0 million, a 9.1% increase from the $505.9 million for the first six months of 2023. The calculation of PPNR and the reconciliation to generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) are included in the schedules accompanying this release.
Provision for credit losses was $49.0 million for the second quarter of 2024 compared to $41.8 million for the second quarter of 2023, while our net charge-offs were only $11.8 million and $8.7 million, respectively, for those quarters. For the first six months of 2024, provision for credit losses was $91.9 million compared to $77.6 million for the first six months of 2023, while our net charge-offs were only $19.1 million and $16.1 million, respectively, for those six-month periods. The Bank’s total allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) was $574.1 million at June 30, 2024, an increase of $147.3 million compared to $426.8 million at June 30, 2023.
The Bank’s annualized returns on average assets, average common stockholders’ equity and average tangible common stockholders’ equity for the second quarter of 2024 were 1.92%, 13.98% and 16.11%, respectively, compared to 2.27%, 15.14% and 17.78%, respectively, for the second quarter of 2023. For the first six months of 2024, the Bank’s annualized returns on average assets, average common stockholders’ equity and average tangible common stockholders’ equity were 1.94%, 14.07%, and 16.24%, respectively, compared to 2.34%, 15.19%, and 17.86%, respectively, for the first six months of 2023. The calculation of the Bank’s returns on average common stockholders’ equity and average tangible common stockholders’ equity and the reconciliations to GAAP are included in the schedules accompanying this release.
George Gleason, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are very pleased with our record results for the quarter just ended giving us our seventh consecutive quarter of record net income and earnings per share and eighth consecutive quarter of record net interest income. These record results have allowed us to consistently increase dividends, significantly grow capital and opportunistically repurchase shares, all while almost doubling our allowance for credit losses.”
KEY BALANCE SHEET METRICS
Total loans were $28.67 billion at June 30, 2024, a 21.5% increase from $23.61 billion at June 30, 2023. Deposits were $29.94 billion at June 30, 2024, a 24.9% increase from $23.98 billion at June 30, 2023. Total assets were $36.84 billion at June 30, 2024, a 19.7% increase from $30.76 billion at June 30, 2023.
Common stockholders’ equity was $5.07 billion at June 30, 2024, a 13.4% increase from $4.47 billion at June 30, 2023. Tangible common stockholders’ equity was $4.41 billion at June 30, 2024, a 15.7% increase from $3.81 billion at June 30, 2023.
Book value per common share was $44.67 at June 30, 2024, a $5.16 increase from $39.51 at June 30, 2023. Tangible book value per common share was $38.85 at June 30, 2024, a $5.18 increase from $33.67 at June 30, 2023.
The Bank’s strong profitability has allowed it to maintain strong capital ratios even as it has achieved significant growth. The Bank’s ratio of total common stockholders’ equity to total assets was 13.76% at June 30, 2024, compared to 14.53% at June 30, 2023. The Bank’s ratio of total tangible common stockholders’ equity to total tangible assets was 12.19% at June 30, 2024, compared to 12.66% at June 30, 2023. The calculations of the Bank’s total common stockholders’ equity, tangible common stockholders’ equity, ratio of total tangible common stockholders’ equity to total tangible assets and tangible book value per common share, and the reconciliations to GAAP, are included in the schedules accompanying this release.
The Bank’s Board recently approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the purchase of up to $200 million of outstanding common stock through expiration of the program on July 1, 2025. In evaluating stock repurchases, management will consider a variety of factors including the Bank’s stock price, expected growth, capital position, alternative uses of capital, liquidity, financial performance, current and expected macroeconomic environment, regulatory requirements and other factors.
ASSET QUALITY
The Bank’s various asset quality ratios for the quarter just ended continued to perform well compared to the industry, notwithstanding the challenging macroeconomic environment. This reflects the Bank’s long-term focus on asset quality. The Bank’s ratio of nonperforming non-purchased loans to total loans (excluding purchased loans) was 0.28% at June 30, 2024, compared to 0.15% as of June 30, 2023. The Bank’s ratio of nonperforming assets to total assets (excluding purchased loans, except for their inclusion in total assets) was 0.41% at June 30, 2024, compared to 0.32% as of June 30, 2023. The Bank’s annualized ratio of net charge-offs to average total loans was 0.17% for the quarter and 0.14% for the six months ended June 30, 2024, compared to 0.15% for both the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2023.
MANAGEMENT’S COMMENTS, CONFERENCE CALL, TRANSCRIPT AND FILINGS
In connection with this release, the Bank released management’s comments on its quarterly results, which are available at http://ir.ozk.com. This release should be read in conjunction with management’s comments on the quarterly results.
Management will conduct a conference call to take questions at 10:00 a.m. CT (11:00 a.m. ET) on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Interested parties may access the conference call live via webcast on the Bank’s investor relations website at https://ir.ozk.com/news/event-calendar, or may participate via telephone by registering using this online form. Upon registration, all telephone participants will receive the dial-in number along with a unique PIN number that can be used to access the call. A replay of the conference call webcast will be archived on the Bank’s website for at least 30 days.
The Bank files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy materials, and other information required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), copies of which are available electronically at the FDIC’s website at https://efr.fdic.gov/fcxweb/efr/index.html and are also available on the Bank’s investor relations website at ir.ozk.com. To receive automated email alerts for these materials please visit https://ir.ozk.com/other/email-alerts to sign up.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
This release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures. The Bank uses these non-GAAP financial measures, specifically return on average common stockholders’ equity, return on average tangible common stockholders’ equity, tangible book value per common share, total common stockholders’ equity, total tangible common stockholders’ equity, the ratio of total tangible common stockholders’ equity to total tangible assets, and PPNR, to assess the strength of its capital, its ability to generate earnings on tangible capital invested by its shareholders and trends in its net revenue. These measures typically adjust GAAP financial measures to exclude intangible assets or provision for credit losses. Management believes presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful supplemental information which contributes to a proper understanding of the financial results and capital levels of the Bank. These non-GAAP disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial results determined in accordance with GAAP, and they are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other banks. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the tables at the end of this release under the caption “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-ozk-announces-record-second-200100158.html
FACT-MASTER
5 months ago
OZK: Bank OZK (OZK) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-ozk-ozk-earnings-expected-140021181.html
In this article:
OZK
+4.81%
EQBK
+4.43%
The market expects Bank OZK (OZK) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2024. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.
The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 17. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus Estimate
This bank is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.51 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +2.7%.
Revenues are expected to be $409.6 million, up 5.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions Trend
The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.52% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.
Earnings Whisper
Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Bank OZK?
For Bank OZK, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.22%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.
So, this combination indicates that Bank OZK will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?
While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Bank OZK would post earnings of $1.44 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.51, delivering a surprise of +4.86%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times.
Bottom Line
An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Bank OZK appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
FACT-MASTER
6 months ago
OZK: Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.40
In this article:
OZK
-2.21%
OZKAP
-0.11%
Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 19th of July to $0.40. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 3.7%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
See our latest analysis for Bank OZK
Bank OZK's Earnings Will Easily Cover The Distributions
Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable.
Bank OZK has established itself as a dividend paying company with over 10 years history of distributing earnings to shareholders. While past data isn't a guarantee for the future, Bank OZK's latest earnings report puts its payout ratio at 24%, showing that the company can pay out its dividends comfortably.
Over the next 3 years, EPS is forecast to expand by 34.9%. Analysts forecast the future payout ratio could be 26% over the same time horizon, which is a number we think the company can maintain.
historic-dividend
historic-dividend
Bank OZK Has A Solid Track Record
The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.42 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $1.52. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 14% over that duration. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Bank OZK has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 13% per annum. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.
We Really Like Bank OZK's Dividend
Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Bank OZK that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-ozk-nasdaq-ozk-increasing-123915289.html
FACT-MASTER
6 months ago
OZK: Quarterly Dividend Increase
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-ozk-announces-increase-quarterly-200100603.html
Bank OZK
Fifty-six consecutive quarters of increased quarterly cash dividend on its common stock
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bank OZK (the “Bank”) (Nasdaq: OZK) announced its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on the Bank’s common stock of $0.40 per share, up $0.01, or 2.56% from the prior quarter. The common stock dividend is payable on July 19, 2024 to shareholders of record as of July 12, 2024. Bank OZK has increased its quarterly cash dividend on its common stock in each of the last fifty-six quarters.
The Board of Directors also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.28906 per share on the Bank’s 4.625% Series A Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) (Nasdaq: OZKAP) for the period covering May 15, 2024 through, but excluding August 15, 2024. The Series A Preferred Stock dividend is payable on August 15, 2024, to the holders of record of the Series A Preferred Stock at the close of business on August 1, 2024.
Bank OZK’s consistent track record of increasing its common stock dividend has led to it being included in the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats® index (Ticker: SPHYDA) since January 2018. The index consists of members of the S&P Composite 1500® that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing common stock dividends every year for at least 20 years, and that meet minimum float-adjusted market capitalization and liquidity requirements. For more information on the index, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Bank OZK (Nasdaq: OZK) is a regional bank providing innovative financial solutions delivered by expert bankers with a relentless pursuit of excellence. Established in 1903, Bank OZK conducts banking operations in approximately 240 offices in eight states including Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, New York, California and Mississippi and had $36.03 billion in total assets as of March 31, 2024. For more information, visit www.ozk.com.
The Bank files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy materials, and other information required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), copies of which are available electronically at the FDIC’s website at https://efr.fdic.gov/fcxweb/efr/index.html and are also available on the Bank’s investor relations website at ir.ozk.com. To receive automated email alerts for these materials please visit https://ir.ozk.com/other/email-alerts to sign up.
FACT-MASTER
8 months ago
OZK: Article of interest/Zack's Research
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-ozk-ozk-great-momentum-160009239.html
Zacks Equity Research
Mon, May 6, 2024 at 11:00 AM CDT·4 min read
In this article:
OZK
-0.59%
Watchlist
Watchlist
Patternyahoo finance plus locked badge
Neutral
trade type U
Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.
While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.
Below, we take a look at Bank OZK (OZK), which currently has a Momentum Style Score of B. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions.
It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Bank OZK currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B outperform the market over the following one-month period.
You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>
Set to Beat the Market?
In order to see if OZK is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this bank holds up.
A good momentum benchmark for a stock is to look at its short-term price activity, as this can reflect both current interest and if buyers or sellers currently have the upper hand. It is also useful to compare a security to its industry, as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area.
For OZK, shares are up 1.59% over the past week while the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry is up 1.59% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 5.82% compares favorably with the industry's 0.59% performance as well.
Considering longer term price metrics, like performance over the last three months or year, can be advantageous as well. Over the past quarter, shares of Bank OZK have risen 9.87%, and are up 40.22% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved 3.78% and 27.1%, respectively.
Investors should also take note of OZK's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now, OZK is averaging 1,199,850 shares for the last 20 days.
Earnings Outlook
The Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with OZK.
Over the past two months, 4 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost OZK's consensus estimate, increasing from $5.93 to $6.04 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 5 estimates have moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.
Bottom Line
Taking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that OZK is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Bank OZK on your short list.
FACT-MASTER
9 months ago
OZK: 1st quarter results - April 17/24
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-ozk-announces-date-first-200100194.html
Bank OZK
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., March 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bank OZK (the “Bank”) (Nasdaq: OZK) expects to report its first quarter 2024 earnings after the market closes on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Management’s comments on the first quarter of 2024 will be released simultaneously with the earnings press release and will be available on the Bank’s investor relations website.
Management will conduct a conference call to take questions at 9:00 a.m. CT (10:00 a.m. ET) on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Interested parties may access the conference call live via webcast on the Bank’s investor relations website at https://ir.ozk.com/news/event-calendar, or may participate via telephone by registering using this online form. Upon registration, all telephone participants will receive the dial-in number along with a unique PIN number that can be used to access the call. A replay of the conference call webcast will be archived on the Bank's website for at least 30 days.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Bank OZK (Nasdaq: OZK) is a regional bank providing innovative financial solutions delivered by expert bankers with a relentless pursuit of excellence. Established in 1903, Bank OZK conducts banking operations in approximately 240 offices in eight states including Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, New York, California and Mississippi and had $34.24 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2023. For more information, visit www.ozk.com.
The Bank files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy materials, and other information required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), copies of which are available electronically at the FDIC’s website at https://efr.fdic.gov/fcxweb/efr/index.html and are also available on the Bank’s investor relations website at ir.ozk.com. To receive automated email alerts for these materials please visit https://ir.ozk.com/other/email-alerts to sign up.
FACT-MASTER
11 months ago
OZK: Zacks Equity Research
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-ozk-ozk-could-great-164505071.html
Zacks Equity Research
Mon, February 5, 2024 at 10:45 AM CST·2 min read
In this article:
OZK
-2.05%
Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Bank OZK in Focus
Bank OZK (OZK) is headquartered in Little Rock, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -13.93% since the start of the year. The bank is paying out a dividend of $0.38 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.54% compared to the Banks - Northeast industry's yield of 2.83% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.61%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.52 is up 7% from last year. In the past five-year period, Bank OZK has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 10.36%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Bank OZK's payout ratio is 25%, which means it paid out 25% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, OZK expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $5.94 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 1.19%.
Bottom Line
Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. However, not all companies offer a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, OZK is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).