Great Southern Q1 2020 Earnings Report
Key Takeaways
Great Southern Bancorp reported preliminary earnings for Q1 2020 with an EPS of $1.04. The results were impacted by COVID-19 related expenses and additional loan loss provisions. Total gross loans increased by $54 million, or 1.1%. Credit quality metrics remained solid with historically low levels of non-performing assets. Capital remained very strong.
Earnings per diluted common share were $1.04 ($14.9 million available to common shareholders).
Net interest income increased to $44.9 million compared to $44.6 million for the first quarter of 2019.
Total gross loans increased $54 million, or 1.1%.
The company increased the allowance for loan losses by $3.7 million from the end of 2019.
Great Southern
Great Southern
Great Southern Revenue by Segment
Forward Guidance
The Company expects that the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our business in future periods. The magnitude of the impact is unknown at this time, and will depend on the length and severity of the economic downturn brought on by the pandemic.
Positive Outlook
- The Company entered the COVID-19 crisis prepared to respond and in a position of strength with regard to capital, earnings and liquidity.
- The Company expects to continue to operate profitably, and currently expects that our regular quarterly dividend can be maintained for the foreseeable future.
- The Company is actively participating in the PPP, which provides emergency financial support to small businesses.
- The Company retail online banking platform and mobile banking application are currently being upgraded to enhance customer functionality and convenience.
- The Company expects to record loan interest income related to the swap transaction of approximately $2.0 million in future quarterly periods.
Challenges Ahead
- Significantly lower market interest rates will have a negative impact on our variable rate loans indexed to LIBOR and prime.
- Point-of-sale fee income may decline due to a decrease in spending by debit card customers.
- Non-interest expenses may increase to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Additional loan modifications may occur and borrowers may default on their loans, which may necessitate further increases to the allowance for loan losses.
- The contraction in economic activity may reduce demand for loans and for other products and services