Wintrust Financial (WTFC) Tops Q2 EPS by 9c

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ: WTFC) reported Q2 EPS of $1.53, $0.09 better than the analyst estimate of $1.44.

Edward J. Wehmer, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Wintrust reported net income of $89.6 million for the second quarter of 2018, the tenth consecutive quarter of record net income, and net income of $171.6 million for the first six months of 2018. These results were driven by strong loan and deposit growth and an increased net interest margin as we continue to benefit from rising interest rates. The second quarter of 2018 was also characterized by good credit quality metrics and increased mortgage banking revenue."

Mr. Wehmer continued, "We experienced strong loan growth within the commercial portfolio and premium finance receivables portfolios during the period. The commercial real estate portfolio remained relatively flat during the second quarter as elevated payoffs and paydowns offset new loan growth within the portfolio. We continue to take a measured approach in evaluating new commercial real estate loan opportunities due to supply and demand issues in the market place, pricing competition and easing of underwriting standards by some competitors. Overall, we grew our loan portfolio by $548 million during the second quarter of 2018. Our loan pipelines improved to the highest levels since the second quarter of 2017. The increased loan volume, continued improvement in net interest margin from rising interest rates and an additional day in the second quarter compared to the first quarter helped net interest income increase by $13.1 million in the second quarter of 2018. Deposit growth was strong in the second quarter of 2018 as deposits increased $1.1 billion and exceeded $24 billion as of the end of the quarter. Our deposit growth was primarily the result of growth in money market accounts and retail certificate of deposit accounts as active marketing campaigns began to take effect. Five branches added during the second quarter of 2018 contributed $134 million of retail deposit balances to this growth."

Commenting on credit quality, Mr. Wehmer noted, "During the second quarter of 2018, the Company continued its practice of addressing and resolving non-performing credits in a timely fashion. Net charge-offs totaled $1.1 million in the current quarter, decreasing $5.6 million from the first quarter of 2018. Additionally, net charge-offs as a percentage of average total loans decreased to two basis points from 13 basis points in the first quarter. Total non-performing assets decreased $7.5 million during the second quarter of 2018 resulting in non-performing assets as a percentage of total assets dropping from 0.44% to 0.40% during the period. Total non-performing loans decreased $6.4 million in the second quarter of 2018 and now total $83.3 million, or 0.37% of total loans. As a percentage of non-performing loans, the allowance for loan losses increased to 172% at the end of the second quarter of 2018 from 156% at the end of the first quarter of 2018. We believe that the Company's reserves remain appropriate."

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Wintrust Financial (WTFC) click here.

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