Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. Reports 2023 Second-Quarter and Year-to-Date Financial Results

ARCHBOLD, Ohio, July 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. ( FMAO) the holding company of F&M Bank, today reported financial results for the 2023 second quarter and year-to-date June 30, 2023.

2023 Second Quarter Financial and Operating Highlights (on a year-over-year basis unless noted):

• 81 consecutive quarters of profitability
• Net income was $6.0 million, or $0.44 per basic and diluted share
• Stockholders’ equity increased 8.5% to $304.7 million
• Regulatory tangible book value per share increased 4.5% to $18.21 per share
• Organic loan growth of 18.5%, excluding PPP loans and the Peoples-Sidney Financial Corporation acquisition
• Total loans were a record of $2.52 billion and increased 6.8% from $2.36 billion at December 31, 2022
• Total assets increased 17.7% to a record $3.15 billion
• Deposits increased 11.0% to $2.50 billion
• Uninsured deposits to total deposits of approximately 18% at June 30, 2023
• Strong asset quality continues as nonperforming loans were 0.25% of total loans
• Net charge-offs to average loans were -0.01%
• Allowance for credit losses was 395.71% of nonperforming loans
• Tier 1 leverage ratio increased to 9.85% from 8.75% last year
• Strategic investments to support long-term growth continue as F&M has unveiled new branding and logo, opened two new offices, launched new deposit products, and started construction on a new regional headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana and the first full-service office in Michigan

Lars B. Eller, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our second quarter results demonstrate the power of F&M’s operating platform as we ended the quarter with strong capital levels, robust asset quality, and record loans and assets. These trends provide us with the flexibility to navigate a challenging banking landscape, while supporting our communities, investing in our multi-year strategic growth plan, and returning capital back to our shareholders. Most importantly, our longstanding financial success and operating growth reflects the continued commitment, experience, and hard work of our team members across our Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan markets.”

“I am pleased to report that we continue to make meaningful progress investing in our business to support our growth, enhance our operations, and execute against our recently developed three-year strategic growth plan. During the second quarter we unveiled our new branding and forward-looking logo, which was the culmination of a multi-year brand exploration process. All updates to office signage are expected to be completed by September 2023. In addition, we relocated our Auburn, Indiana office and opened new offices in downtown Toledo, Ohio, and Oxford, Ohio. Construction began on our new regional facility in Fort Wayne, and we added a highly experienced lending team in our Fort Wayne region, which will greatly expand our commitment to Eastern Indiana. We also broke ground on our first full-service office in Birmingham, Michigan following our hugely successful loan production office in Southeast Michigan. Finally, we launched new deposit products to enhance our offerings to current and prospective customers,” continued Mr. Eller.

Income Statement
Net income for the 2023 second quarter ended June 30, 2023, was $6.0 million, compared to $8.3 million for the same period last year. Net income per basic and diluted share for the 2023 second quarter was $0.44, compared to $0.63 for the same period last year. Net income for the 2023 first half ended June 30, 2023, was $12.5 million, compared to $16.4 million for the same period last year. Net income per basic and diluted share for the 2023 first half was $0.92, compared to $1.25 for the same period last year.

Mr. Eller commented: “F&M is not immune from the rapid rise in the Federal Funds Rate and the impact this has had on cost of funds and the competition for deposits it has created over the past 12 months. As a result, our cost of interest-bearing liabilities has increased by over 430% to 2.35% at June 30, 2023. In addition, year-to-date profitability has been impacted by several strategic one-time expenses including the conversion of our credit card platform, an opportunistic sale of investments, and the investments we are making in our infrastructure. Despite these near-term impacts, we believe we are well positioned for net income growth to re-accelerate in 2024 and beyond, as we benefit from continued strong asset quality, the contribution of our growth initiatives, and controlled operating expenses,” continued Mr. Eller.

Deposits
At June 30, 2023, total deposits were $2.47 billion, an increase of 11.0% from June 30, 2022. The Company’s cost of interest-bearing liabilities was 2.35% for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, compared to 0.44% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, and 1.32% for the quarter ended December 31, 2022.

At June 30, 2023, F&M’s average deposit account had an average balance of $25,009. In addition, uninsured deposits to total deposits were approximately 18% for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, compared to approximately 21% at December 31, 2022.

Loan Portfolio and Asset Quality
Total loans, net at June 30, 2023, increased 23.6%, or by $481.0 million to a record $2.52 billion, compared to $2.03 billion at June 30, 2022, and up from $2.36 billion at December 31, 2022. The year-over-year improvement resulted primarily from the contribution of continued organic loan growth and the completion of the Peoples acquisition. Not including the Peoples acquisition, total net loans increased 18.5% organically, or by $376.3 million from the same period a year ago.

F&M continues to closely monitor its loan portfolio with a particular emphasis on higher risk sectors. Nonperforming loans were $6.3 million, or 0.25% of total loans at June 30, 2023, compared to $5.2 million, or 0.26% of total loans at June 30, 2022. During the second quarter, one large farm loan that was paid off and another loan that was refinanced through another bank, and second quarter 2023 nonperforming loans improved by $1.4 million, or 18.4% over the past three months.

F&M maintains a well-balanced, diverse and high performing CRE portfolio. CRE loans represented 50.9% of the Company’s total loan portfolio at June 30, 2023. In addition, F&M’s commercial real estate office credit exposure represented 5.0% of the Company's total loan portfolio at June 30, 2023, with a weighted average loan-to-value of approximately 64% and an average loan of $845,000.

F&M’s CRE portfolio included the following categories at June 30, 2023:

At June 30, 2023, the Company’s allowance for credit losses to nonperforming loans was 395.71%, compared to 351.44% at June 30, 2022. The allowance to total loans was 0.99% at June 30, 2023, compared to 0.91% at June 30, 2022. As a result of F&M’s recent acquisitions, the Company had an accretable yield adjustment of $5.2 million at June 30, 2023, which further enhances F&M’s allowance, compared to $6.7 million at June 30, 2022. Including the accretable yield adjustment, F&M’s allowance for credit losses to total loans was 1.20% at June 30, 2023, compared to 1.24% at June 30, 2022.

Mr. Eller concluded, “I am proud of our team’s performance throughout the first half of 2023. The progress we are making serving our communities, and investing in our growth initiatives is encouraging. While 2023 is expected to be a transitional year, we believe we are well positioned to emerge from this period with increased market share and higher profitability. We also continue to focus on returning capital back to shareholders through our longstanding cash dividend program, which has increased on an annual basis for 28 consecutive years.”

Stockholders’ Equity and Dividends
Total stockholders’ equity increased 8.5% to $304.7 million at June 30, 2023, from $280.9 million at June 30, 2022. At June 30, 2023, the Company had a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 9.85%, compared to 8.75% at June 30, 2022.

Based on a regulatory basis, tangible stockholders’ equity increased to $248.3 million at June 30, 2023, compared to $227.7 million at June 30, 2022. On a per share basis, regulatory tangible stockholders’ equity at June 30, 2023, was $18.21 per share, compared to $17.43 per share at June 30, 2022.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company has declared cash dividends of $0.42 per share, which is a 7.0% increase over the 2022 six-month declared dividend payment. F&M is committed to returning capital to shareholders and has increased the annual cash dividend for over 28 consecutive years and has grown its dividend by over 160% since 2007. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the dividend payout ratio was 45.44% compared to 30.08% for the same period last year.

About Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.:
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. ( FMAO) is the holding company of F&M Bank, a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties, and we have Loan Production Offices in West Bloomfield, Michigan; Muncie, Indiana; and Bryan, Ohio.

Safe Harbor Statement
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (“F&M”) wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impacts on our credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions. F&M assumes no responsibility to update this information. For more details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s website www.fm.bank.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes disclosure of financial measures not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). A non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of historical or future financial performance, financial position or cash flows that excludes or includes amounts that are required to be disclosed by GAAP. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide both management and investors a more complete understanding of the underlying operational results and trends and Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.’s marketplace performance. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the numbers prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures is included within this press release.