Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2025 Earnings

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., April 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PWOD)

Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. achieved net income of $7.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, resulting in basic earnings per share of $0.97 and diluted earnings per share of $0.95.

Highlights

• Net income, as reported under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $7.4 million, compared $3.8 million for the same period of 2024. Results for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to 2024 were impacted by an increase in net interest income of $2.4 million, as the net interest margin expanded. The three month period ended March 31, 2025 has been impacted by after-tax merger related expenses of $948,000 resulting from the announced acquisition of the company by Northwest Bancshares, Inc. The disposal of assets related to two former branch properties resulted in a one time after-tax loss of $261,000 for the three month period ended March 31, 2024.
  
  
  
  
• The allowance for credit losses was impacted for the three months ended March 31, 2025 by a negative provision for credit losses of $3.0 million, compared to a provision for credit losses of $138,000 for the 2024 period. The recognition of a negative provision for credit losses for the 2025 period was due primarily to a recovery on a commercial loan of $1.3 million. The recovery, coupled with a decline in the historical loss rates over the look back period, reduced the probability of default and loss given default applied to the loan portfolio when determining the level of the allowance for credit losses.
  
  
  
  
• Basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2025 were $0.97 and $0.95, respectively. This compares to basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.51 for the three month period ended March 31, 2024.
  
  
  
  
• Annualized return on average assets was 1.31% for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to 0.69% for the corresponding period of 2024.
  
  
  
  
• Annualized return on average equity was 14.76% for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to 8.03% for the corresponding period of 2024.
  
  

Net Income

Net income from core operations (“core earnings”), which is a non-GAAP measure of net income excluding net securities gains or losses and merger expenses, was $8.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $3.8 million for the same period of 2024. Core earnings per share (non-GAAP) for the three months ended March 31, 2025 were basic $1.06 and diluted $1.04. Basic and diluted core earnings per share for the same period of 2024 were $0.51. Annualized core return on average assets and core return on average equity (non-GAAP) were 1.43% and 16.15%, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to 0.69% and 8.09% for the corresponding period of 2024. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures of core earnings, core return on assets, core return on equity, core earnings per share and tangible book value per share to the comparable GAAP financial measures is included at the end of this press release.

Net Interest Margin

The net interest margin for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was 3.13% compared to 2.69% for the corresponding period of 2024. The increase in the net interest margin for the three month period was driven by an increase in the rate collected on interest-earning assets of 38 basis points ("bps"). The overall market conditions over the periods resulted in increases to the yield on the earnings asset portfolio and a decrease in the rate paid on interest-bearing deposits. Driving the increase in the yield and interest income on the earning assets portfolio was the repricing of legacy assets, portfolio growth, and the recognition of $223,000 in interest from a recovery on a commercial loan. The average loan portfolio balance increased $41.8 million for the three month period ended March 31, 2025 compared to the same period of 2024 as the average yield on the portfolio increased 40 bps, resulting in an increase in taxable equivalent interest income of $2.2 million for the period. The three month period ended March 31, 2025 was impacted by an increase of 30 bps in the yield earned on the securities portfolio as legacy securities matured, which offset the impact of a decrease in average securities balance of $15.0 million. Short-term borrowings decreased leading to a decrease of $949,000 in expense for the three month period ended March 31, 2025 compared to the same period of 2024. The rate paid on interest-bearing deposits increased 4 bps, or $781,000, in expense for the three month period ended March 31, 2025 compared to the corresponding period of 2024 due to the rate environment, an increase in competition for deposits, increased utilization of brokered deposits, and a migration of deposit balances from core deposits to higher rate time deposits. The average balance of time deposits increased $99.9 million from the three month period ended March 31, 2024 to 2025 as the rate paid on the funds decreased 9 bps. In addition, brokered deposits have been utilized to assist with funding the loan portfolio growth and contributed to the increase in time deposit balances, while lowering the reliance on higher cost short-term borrowings.

Assets

Total assets increased to $2.3 billion at March 31, 2025, an increase of $42.1 million compared to March 31, 2024.  Net loans increased $43.3 million to $1.9 billion at March 31, 2025 compared to March 31, 2024, as continued emphasis was placed on commercial loan growth and indirect auto lending. The investment portfolio decreased $14.3 million from March 31, 2024 to March 31, 2025 as the portfolio cash flow is being utilized to fund loan growth. Short-term and long-term borrowings decreased $28.3 million and $47.2 million, respectively, from March 31, 2024 to March 31, 2025 as deposit growth allowed for a reduction in total borrowings.

Non-performing Loans

The ratio of non-performing loans to total loans ratio increased to 0.53% at March 31, 2025 from 0.43% at March 31, 2024, as non-performing loans increased to $10.0 million at March 31, 2025 from $8.0 million at March 31, 2024. The majority of non-performing loans involve loans that are either in a secured position and have sureties with a strong underlying financial position or have been classified as individually evaluated loans that have a specific allocation recorded within the allowance for credit losses. Net loan recoveries of $957,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, impacted the allowance for credit losses, which was 0.54% of total loans at March 31, 2025 compared to 0.62% at March 31, 2024. Exposure to non-owner occupied office space is minimal at $13.7 million at March 31, 2025 with none of these loans being delinquent.

Deposits

Deposits increased $105.4 million to $1.7 billion at March 31, 2025 compared to March 31, 2024. Noninterest-bearing deposits decreased $5.7 million to $465.8 million at March 31, 2025 compared to March 31, 2024.  Core deposits increased $3.6 million with growth in money market accounts offsetting a decline in savings and NOW accounts. Core deposit gathering efforts remained focused on increasing the utilization of electronic (internet and mobile) deposit banking by our customers. Core deposits have remained stable at $1.2 billion over the past five quarters. Interest-bearing deposits increased $111.1 million from March 31, 2024 to March 31, 2025 due to growth in the time deposit portfolio of $50.6 million as customers sought a higher rate of interest. Brokered deposit balances increased $51.2 million to $177.0 million at March 31, 2025 as this funding source was utilized to supplement funding loan portfolio growth, while reducing the need to draw upon available borrowing lines. A campaign to attract time deposits with a maturity of five to twenty-four months commenced during the latter part of 2022 and has continued throughout 2024 and 2025.

Shareholders’ Equity

Shareholders’ equity increased $18.5 million to $212.0 million at March 31, 2025 compared to March 31, 2024.  Accumulated other comprehensive loss of $3.5 million at March 31, 2025 decreased from a loss of $9.2 million at March 31, 2024 as a result of a decrease in net unrealized loss on available for sale securities to $2.8 million at March 31, 2025 from a net unrealized loss of $6.4 million at March 31, 2024, coupled with a decrease in loss of $2.0 million in the defined benefit plan obligation. The current level of shareholders’ equity equates to a book value per share of $27.85 at March 31, 2025 compared to $25.72 at March 31, 2024, and an equity to asset ratio of 9.41% at March 31, 2025 and 8.76% at March 31, 2024. Tangible book value per share (a non-GAAP measure) increased to $25.67 at March 31, 2025 compared to $23.50 at March 31, 2024. Dividends declared for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 were $0.32 per share.

Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company of Jersey Shore State Bank, which operates sixteen branch offices providing financial services in Lycoming, Clinton, Centre, Montour, Union, and Blair Counties, and Luzerne Bank, which operates eight branch offices providing financial services in Luzerne County, and United Insurance Solutions, LLC, which offers insurance products.  Investment and insurance products are offered through Jersey Shore State Bank’s subsidiary, The M Group, Inc. D/B/A The Comprehensive Financial Group.

NOTE:  This press release contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”).  Management uses the non-GAAP measure of net income from core operations in its analysis of the company’s performance. This measure, as used by the Company, adjusts net income determined in accordance with GAAP to exclude the effects of special items, including significant gains or losses that are unusual in nature such as net securities gains and losses. Because these certain items and their impact on the Company’s performance are difficult to predict, management believes presentation of financial measures excluding the impact of such items provides useful supplemental information in evaluating the operating results of the Company’s core businesses. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for net income determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.

This press release may contain certain “forward-looking statements” including statements concerning plans, objectives, future events or performance and assumptions and other statements, which are statements other than statements of historical fact.  The Company cautions readers that the following important factors, among others, may have affected and could in the future affect actual results and could cause actual results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of the Company herein: (i) the effect of changes in laws and regulations, including federal and state banking laws and regulations, and the associated costs of compliance with such laws and regulations either currently or in the future as applicable; (ii) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the regulatory agencies as well as by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or of changes in the Company’s organization, compensation and benefit plans; (iii) the effect on the Company’s competitive position within its market area of the increasing consolidation within the banking and financial services industries, including the increased competition from larger regional and out-of-state banking organizations as well as non-bank providers of various financial services; (iv) the effect of changes in interest rates; (v) the effects of health emergencies, including the spread of infectious diseases or pandemics; (vi) the effect of changes in the business cycle and downturns in the local, regional or national economies; or (vii) any potential adverse events or developments resulting from the merger agreement, dated December 16, 2024, between Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. and Northwest Bancshares, Inc., including, without limitation, any event, change, or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or both of the parties to terminate the merger agreement or the possibility that the parties may be unable to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies in the merger within the expected timeframes or to successfully integrate the business and operations of Jersey Shore State Bank and Luzerne Bank with those of Northwest Savings Bank after closing.  For a list of other factors which could affect the Company’s results, see the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including “Item 1A.  Risk Factors,” set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by the Company on its website or otherwise.  The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

Previous press releases and additional information can be obtained from the Company’s website at