ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ: EFSC) (the “Company” or "EFSC") reported net income of $20.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $13.4 million, and $8.5 million as compared to the linked fourth quarter and prior year quarter, respectively. Net income per diluted share was $0.90 for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, an increase of 181% and 61%, compared to $0.32 and $0.56 per diluted share for the linked fourth quarter and prior year period, respectively.

The increase in net income and earnings per share compared to the linked fourth quarter was primarily due to U.S. corporate income tax reform which resulted in $12.1 million of related deferred tax asset revaluation expense during the fourth quarter, as well as a lower federal corporate income tax rate for the first quarter.

Year over year, net income and earnings per share both increased from growth in the balance sheet related to the acquisition of Jefferson County Bancshares, Inc., ("JCB") as well as organic loan and deposit growth. The balance sheet growth combined with both net interest margin expansion and growth of noninterest income resulted in a $10.1 million increase in revenue. Revenue growth outpaced a $2.4 million increase in noninterest expenses, improving the Company's efficiency ratio to 52.3% for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to 58.6% for the prior year period.

On a core basis¹, net income totaled $19.6 million, or $0.84 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to $18.0 million, or $0.77 per diluted share, in the linked fourth quarter. First quarter 2018 core net income¹ increased 49% from $13.1 million for the prior year period, and diluted core earnings per share¹ grew 42% from $0.59 for the prior year period. The diluted core earnings per share¹ increase of $0.25 from the prior year period was primarily due to higher levels of core net interest income¹ from continued growth in earning asset balances combined with 11 basis points of core net interest margin¹ expansion, and a lower effective income tax rate, which resulted from U.S. corporate income tax reform.

The Company's Board of Directors approved the Company’s quarterly dividend of $0.11 per common share, payable on June 29, 2018 to shareholders of record as of June 15, 2018.

Jim Lally, EFSC’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are tremendously pleased with our first quarter results. Continued momentum, particularly in our C&I businesses, coupled with the expected improvement in our effective tax rate drove another record earnings quarter on both a core and consolidated basis. First quarter return on average assets was 1.59%, a 49 basis point increase over last year while our return on tangible equity approached 20%.”

Lally added, “Turning to the balance sheet, portfolio loan growth of $95 million, including $63 million of C&I loans, in the first quarter was seasonally a highlight. Additionally, core deposits increased by $55 million, or 6%, while our asset quality metrics remain extremely favorable. These trends bode well for achieving our financial goals for 2018 and beyond.”

Net Interest Income

Net interest income for the first quarter decreased to $46.2 million from the linked fourth quarter of $47.4 million, but increased $7.5 million from the prior year period. Net interest margin, on a fully tax equivalent basis, was 3.80% for the first quarter, compared to 3.93% in the linked fourth quarter, and 3.73% in the first quarter of 2017.

Core net interest income¹ expanded by $0.5 million during the linked quarter due to an increase in average earning assets totaling $123 million, driven by portfolio loan and deposit growth trends. The earnings from asset growth combined with a relatively stable core net interest margin¹ increased core net interest income¹ for the quarter, despite two fewer days. Alternatively, declining balances on non-core acquired assets¹ decreased incremental accretion income to $0.8 million from $2.5 million, which impacted the consolidated net interest margin by 15 basis points.

Core net interest margin¹, excludes incremental accretion on non-core acquired loans. See the table below for a quarterly comparison.

Core net interest margin¹ increased 11 basis points to 3.74% from the prior year quarter, primarily due to the impact of interest rate increases on the Company's asset sensitive balance sheet. Specifically, the yield on portfolio loans increased 42 basis points to 4.87% from 4.45% due to increasing interest rates on the existing variable-rate loan portfolio and higher rates on newly originated loans. The cost of total deposits increased 22 basis points from the prior year quarter and was 0.61% for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. The increase in the interest rate paid on deposits reflects market interest rate trends, as the Company continues to defend and attract new core deposit relationships. Additionally, the cost of total interest-bearing liabilities increased 34 basis points to 0.99% from 0.65% in the first quarter of 2017.

The Company continues to manage its balance sheet to grow core net interest income¹ and expects to maintain core net interest margin¹ over the coming quarters; however, pressure on funding costs could hinder the expected trends in core net interest margin¹.

Portfolio Loans

The following table presents portfolio loans with selected specialized lending detail for the most recent five quarters:

Portfolio loans were $4.2 billion at March 31, 2018, increasing $95 million, or 10% annualized, when compared to the linked quarter. On a year over year basis, portfolio loans increased $309 million. For 2018, portfolio loan growth is expected to be approximately 7% - 9%.

The Company continues to focus on originating high-quality Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") relationships, as they typically have variable interest rates and allow for cross selling opportunities involving other banking products. C&I loans increased $63 million during the first quarter of 2018 from the linked fourth quarter and represented 48% of the Company's loan portfolio at March 31, 2018. C&I loan growth supports management's efforts to maintain the Company's asset sensitive interest rate risk position.

Non-Core Acquired Loans

Non-core acquired loans were those acquired from the FDIC and were previously covered by shared-loss agreements. These loans continue to be accounted for as Purchased Credit Impaired ("PCI") loans. Non-core acquired loans totaled $28.8 million at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $1.6 million, or 5% from the linked fourth quarter, and $9.3 million, or 24%, from the prior year period, primarily as a result of principal payments and loan payoffs. At March 31, 2018, the remaining accretable yield on the portfolio was estimated to be $9 million and the non-accretable difference was approximately $13 million.

The Company estimates 2018 pre-tax income from accelerated cash flows and other incremental accretion to be between $3 million and $5 million.

Asset Quality: The following table presents the categories of nonperforming assets and related ratios for the most recent five quarters:

At March 31, 2018, nonperforming loans decreased to 0.38% of total loans, excluding PCI loans, and nonperforming assets declined to 0.30% of total assets. Nonperforming loan balances increased modestly to $15.9 million at March 31, 2018, from $15.7 million at December 31, 2017, and $13.8 million at March 31, 2017.

The Company recorded a provision for portfolio loan losses of $1.9 million compared to $3.2 million in the linked quarter and $1.5 million in the prior year period. The provision for the first quarter is reflective of the decline in net chargeoffs, growth in portfolio loan balances, and maintaining a prudent credit risk posture. The allowance for portfolio loan losses to portfolio loans was 0.98% at March 31, 2018.

Deposits

The following table presents deposits broken out by type:

Total deposits at March 31, 2018 were $4.3 billion, an increase of $125 million, or 12% annualized, from December 31, 2017, and an increase of $250 million from March 31, 2017.

Core deposits, defined as total deposits excluding certificates of deposits, were $3.6 billion at March 31, 2018, an increase of $55 million, or 6% annualized, from the linked quarter, and an increase of $208 million when compared to the prior year period. The overall positive trends in deposits reflect continued progress across our business lines, offset by normal seasonal reductions with some of our corporate clients.

Noninterest-bearing deposits decreased $22 million compared to December 31, 2017, but increased $65 million compared to March 31, 2017. The total cost of deposits increased 11 basis points and totaled 0.61% compared to 0.50% at December 31, 2017, and also increased 22 basis points since March 31, 2017. As previously indicated, the cost of deposits reflects interest rate conditions for existing clients as well as rates for new customer acquisition.

Noninterest Income

Total noninterest income for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 was $9.5 million, a seasonal decrease of $1.6 million, or 14% from the linked fourth quarter, but an increase of $2.6 million, or 37%, from the prior year quarter. The sequential change was driven by decreased activity in state tax credits partially offset by other income from non-core acquired assets of $1.0 million. The improvement over the prior year quarter was due to higher income from deposit service charges, wealth management revenue, and card services from the acquisition of JCB, as well as growth in the client base, and the aforementioned income from non-core acquired assets.

Core noninterest income¹ for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 was $8.5 million, a decrease of $2.6 million, or 23% from the linked fourth quarter, primarily due to reduced state tax credit activity and lower income from the sale of derivative products. A portion of state tax credit sales in the fourth quarter of 2017 were accelerated from the first quarter of 2018 due to the changes in federal income tax regulations. The Company expects growth in fee income of 5% - 7% for 2018 over 2017 levels.

Noninterest Expenses

Noninterest expenses were $29.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to $28.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, and $26.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. Noninterest expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 included $1.7 million of merger related expenses. Core noninterest expenses¹ were $29.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to $28.1 million for the linked quarter, and $24.9 million for the prior year period. The increase from the linked quarter was due to seasonally higher payroll taxes. Core expenses¹ increased over the prior year period due to the JCB acquisition, tax credit amortization, and increases in Employee compensation and benefits from investments in revenue producing personnel.

The Company's core efficiency ratio¹ was 54.0% for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to 50.2% for the linked quarter and 56.0% for the prior year period. The increase in the linked quarter is reflective of seasonal increases in payroll taxes combined with a seasonal decrease in revenue from state tax credit sales.

The Company expects to continue to invest in revenue producing associates and other infrastructure that supports additional growth. These investments are expected to result in expense growth, at a rate of 35% - 45% of projected revenue growth for 2018, resulting in continued improvements to the Company's efficiency ratio.

Income Taxes

The Company's effective tax rate was 15.3% for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 compared to 72.5% for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, and 29.2% for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. The linked quarter income tax expense included a $12.1 million deferred tax asset revaluation charge associated with the U.S. corporate income tax reform which increased the effective tax rate by 44.3% for the fourth quarter of 2017. Additional improvements for the first quarter of 2018 resulted from the new 21% corporate federal tax rate as well as benefits recognized from the vesting of employee stock awards.

The Company expects its effective tax rate for the remainder of 2018 to be approximately 18% - 20%, which is expected to result in a full year effective tax rate of 17% - 19%.

Capital

The total risk based capital ratio¹ was 12.41% at March 31, 2018, compared to 12.21% at December 31, 2017, and 12.76% at March 31, 2017. The Company's common equity tier 1 capital ratio¹ was 9.07% at March 31, 2018, compared to 8.88% at December 31, 2017, and 9.20% at March 31, 2017. The tangible common equity ratio¹ was 8.13% at March 31, 2018, versus 8.14% at December 31, 2017, and 8.28% at March 31, 2017. In the first quarter of 2018, as part of its capital management efforts, the Company repurchased 64,915 shares of its common stock for $3.1 million pursuant to its publicly announced program. The change in tangible common equity ratio was also affected by a decrease in fair value of the securities portfolio.

Capital ratios for the current quarter are based on the Basel III regulatory capital framework as applied to the Company’s current businesses and operations, and are subject to, among other things, completion and filing of the Company’s regulatory reports and ongoing regulatory review and implementation guidance. The attached tables contain a reconciliation of these ratios to U.S. GAAP financial measures.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures¹

The Company's accounting and reporting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and the prevailing practices in the banking industry. However, the Company provides other financial measures, such as core net income and net interest margin, and other core performance measures, regulatory capital ratios, and the tangible common equity ratio, in this release that are considered “non-GAAP financial measures.” Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's financial performance, financial position, or cash flows that exclude (or include) amounts that are included in (or excluded from) the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

The Company considers its core performance measures presented in this earnings release and the included tables as important measures of financial performance, even though they are non-GAAP measures, as they provide supplemental information by which to evaluate the impact of non-core acquired loans and related income and expenses, the impact of certain non-comparable items, and the Company's operating performance on an ongoing basis. Core performance measures include contractual interest on non-core acquired loans, but exclude incremental accretion on these loans. Core performance measures also exclude the gain or loss on sale of other real estate from non-core acquired loans, and expenses directly related to non-core acquired loans and other assets formerly covered under FDIC loss share agreements. Core performance measures also exclude certain other income and expense items, such as executive separation costs, merger related expenses, facilities charges, deferred tax asset revaluation, and the gain or loss on sale of investment securities, the Company believes to be not indicative of or useful to measure the Company's operating performance on an ongoing basis. The attached tables contain a reconciliation of these core performance measures to the GAAP measures. The Company believes that the tangible common equity ratio provides useful information to investors about the Company's capital strength even though it is considered to be a non-GAAP financial measure and is not part of the regulatory capital requirements to which the Company is subject.

The Company believes these non-GAAP measures and ratios, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP measures and ratios, provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's performance and capital strength. The Company's management uses, and believes that investors benefit from referring to, these non-GAAP measures and ratios in assessing the Company's operating results and related trends and when forecasting future periods. However, these non-GAAP measures and ratios should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or preferable to, ratios prepared in accordance with GAAP. In the attached tables, the Company has provided a reconciliation of, where applicable, the most comparable GAAP financial measures and ratios to the non-GAAP financial measures and ratios, or a reconciliation of the non-GAAP calculation of the financial measure for the periods indicated.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

The Company will host a conference call and webcast at 2:30 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. During the call, management will review the first quarter of 2018 results and related matters. This press release as well as a related slide presentation will be accessible on the Company's website at www.enterprisebank.com under “Investor Relations” beginning prior to the scheduled broadcast of the conference call. The call can be accessed via this same website page, or via telephone at 1-800-239-9838 (Conference ID #6595619.) A recorded replay of the conference call will be available on the website two hours after the call's completion. Visit http://bit.ly/EFSC1Q2018Earnings and register to receive a dial in number, passcode, and pin number. The replay will be available for approximately two weeks following the conference call.

Enterprise Financial Services Corp operates commercial banking and wealth management businesses in metropolitan St. Louis, Kansas City, and Phoenix. The Company is primarily focused on serving the needs of privately held businesses, their owner families, executives and professionals.

Forward-looking Statements

Readers should note that, in addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of, and intended to be covered by, the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company's plans, expectations, and projections of future financial and operating results, as well as statements regarding the Company's plans, objectives, expectations or consequences of announced transactions. The Company uses words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "could," "continue," and “intend”, and variations of such words and similar expressions, in this communication to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated from such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to efficiently integrate acquisitions into its operations, retain the customers of these businesses and grow the acquired operations, as well as credit risk, changes in the appraised valuation of real estate securing impaired loans, outcomes of litigation and other contingencies, exposure to general and local economic conditions, risks associated with rapid increases or decreases in prevailing interest rates, consolidation in the banking industry, competition from banks and other financial institutions, the Company's ability to attract and retain relationship officers and other key personnel, burdens imposed by federal and state regulation, changes in regulatory requirements, changes in accounting regulation or standards applicable to banks, as well as other risk factors described in the Company's 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events unless required under the federal securities laws.

¹ A non-GAAP measure. Refer to discussion & reconciliation of these measures in the accompanying financial tables.

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