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PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) reported second quarter earnings that exceeded analyst expectations, driven by improved net interest margin and disciplined expense management. The bank’s stock edged up 0.5% following the results.
The Arkansas-based financial holding company posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.44 for the second quarter, surpassing the analyst consensus of $0.39. Revenue totaled $214.2 million, slightly below the consensus estimate of $217.01 million but up 8.6% compared to $197.2 million in the same quarter last year.
Net interest income rose 5% from the previous quarter to $171.8 million, marking a 12% increase from the year-ago period. The company’s net interest margin expanded to 3.06%, up 11 basis points from the first quarter and 37 basis points YoY, representing the fifth consecutive quarterly increase.
"We were pleased with our second quarter results which reflected strong revenue growth, disciplined expense management and positive underlying balance sheet growth that led to further improvement in profitability measures," said George Makris, Jr., Simmons’ Chairman and CEO. "Our net interest margin increased for the fifth consecutive quarter and surpassed the 3 percent mark ahead of expectations."
The company reported that loan yields increased 6 basis points to 6.26% while cost of deposits decreased 8 basis points to 2.36%. Total (EPA:TTEF) loans remained relatively flat at $17.1 billion, while deposits increased slightly to $21.8 billion, including a $233.1 million increase in low-cost customer deposits.
Noninterest expense decreased to $138.6 million from $144.6 million in the first quarter, reflecting lower salaries and benefit expenses and a decline in other operating expenses.
Asset quality metrics remained stable with the allowance for credit losses on loans holding steady at 1.48% of total loans. Net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans were 25 basis points, compared to 23 basis points in the previous quarter.
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