Seacoast Banking reports Q4 EPS 43c, consensus 40c

Net interest income totaled $110.8M n the fourth quarter of 2023, a decrease of $8.5M or 7%, from the third quarter of 2023 and a decrease of $8.9 M or 7%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. Charles M. Shaffer, Seacoast’s Chairman and CEO, said, “Seacoast once again delivered a quarter of robust financial performance, remaining steadfast in our commitment to driving growth in shareholder value. Throughout the quarter, our dedication to disciplined expense management effectively countered margin compression, which we believe has positioned the Company optimally for the coming year. Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2024, we will execute the second phase of our expense initiative, anticipating one-time charges of approximately $5 million and a reduction in annual expenses of approximately $15 million.” Shaffer added, “Early in the fourth quarter, we took advantage of market conditions and repurchased 546,200 shares of our common stock at $19.80 per share. Even with this repurchase activity, the ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets increased to 9.31% and tangible book value per share increased to $15.08.” Shaffer concluded, “As we embark on 2024, we remain diligently focused on maintaining our conservative balance sheet principles and carefully managing our expense base while investing to drive low-cost deposit growth. We believe this rigorous approach will support solid capital growth, maintain a broadly diversified and stable funding base, and continue to bolster the Company’s fortress balance sheet while increasing franchise value over the long run.”