PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (NYSE: PMT) reported Q4 EPS of $0.78, $0.08 better than the analyst estimate of $0.70.

• Net income attributable to common shareholders of $76.6 million, down from $93.3 million in the prior quarter
  • Continued recovery in the fair value of government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) credit risk transfer (CRT) investments due to credit spread tightening combined with strong Correspondent Production segment results
• Book value per common share of $20.30 at December 31, 2020, up from $19.95 at September 30, 2020

“PMT delivered strong results in the fourth quarter,” said President and CEO David Spector, “resulting in book value per share returning to near pre-COVID levels. Driving these results was record conventional production creating $441 million in new organic MSR investments at today’s low rates. Additionally, we completed the purchase of PMT’s sixth and largest CRT transaction with Fannie Mae; CRT securities totaling $1.7 billion in fair value were collateralized by $44 billion in UPB of PMT’s high quality loan production and financed partially by two-year term notes. While we are not making new investment in CRT for the foreseeable future, PMT continues to invest in high-quality MSR assets as a result of the record production from the largest correspondent aggregator in the mortgage industry.”

Mr. Spector continued, “2020 was a challenging year for mortgage REITs, many of which were forced to sell assets at distressed levels, curtail operations, or even cease market activity for some period. I am proud of this management team’s commitment and the work we have done with respect to liquidity and risk management since the inception of the Company, which proved enormously beneficial for PMT as we were not forced to sell assets to generate liquidity. As a result, PMT’s dividend is back to pre-COVID levels, something few other mortgage REITs can state. As the largest correspondent aggregator and with PFSI’s extensive investments in foundational production technology, PMT is well positioned for continued creation of organic investments with strong risk-adjusted returns.”

Mr. Spector concluded, “All of us at PennyMac are grateful for the many kind thoughts and tributes we have received since announcing the sad passing of Stan Kurland, our founder and Chairman. While Stan had retired from day-to-day responsibilities at PennyMac, he remained a trusted advisor and dear friend. His leadership helped lay the foundation for PennyMac’s long-term success which included building and developing a deep management team that carries on his legacy.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (PMT) click here.