Colony Bankcorp Reports First Quarter 2024 Results

Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend of $0.1125 Per Share

Colony Bankcorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBAN) (“Colony” or the “Company”) today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2024. Financial highlights are shown below.

Financial Highlights:

• Net income decreased to $5.3 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2024, compared to $5.6 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2023, but increased from the first quarter of 2023 net income of $5.0 million, or $0.29 per diluted share.
• Operating net income increased to $5.8 million, or $0.33 of adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2024, compared to $5.4 million, or $0.31 of adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2023, and $5.5 million, or $0.31 of adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2023. (See Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures).
• Strong liquidity with available sources of funding of approximately $1.3 billion at March 31, 2024. No overnight borrowings utilized as of March 31, 2024.
• Estimated uninsured deposits of $785.6 million, or 30.82% of total Bank deposits at March 31, 2024. Adjusted uninsured deposit estimate (excluding deposits collateralized by public funds or internal accounts) of $459.9 million, or 18.04% of total Bank deposits at March 31, 2024.
• Provision for credit losses of $1.0 million was recorded in first quarter of 2024 compared to $1.5 million in fourth quarter of 2023, and $900,000 in first quarter of 2023.
• Total loans were $1.86 billion at March 31, 2024, a decrease of $24.5 million, or 1.30%, from the prior quarter.
• Total deposits were $2.52 billion and $2.54 billion at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, a decrease of $22.0 million.
• Mortgage production was $50.1 million, and mortgage sales totaled $36.6 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $45.3 million and $40.1 million, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2023.
• Small Business Specialty Lending (“SBSL”) closed $35.6 million in Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loans and sold $24.0 million in SBA loans in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $24.0 million and $18.0 million, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2023.

The Company also announced that on April 24, 2024, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1125 per share, to be paid on its common stock on May 22, 2024, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 8, 2024. The Company had 17,558,611 shares of its common stock outstanding as of April 23, 2024.

“We are pleased with the announcement of our improved operating results for the first quarter, including the continued improvement in our complementary lines of business which have contributed to our increased noninterest income. Although margin declined slightly during the first quarter, the decline was less than anticipated as we begin to see some stability in our increasing funding costs,” said Heath Fountain, Chief Executive Officer.

“Total loans declined in the first quarter, largely due to the sale of portfolio mortgages for a gain and credit related payoffs of a limited number of loans, along with the general slowdown in loan production we’ve seen over the past few quarters. Looking ahead, based on our current pipeline projections we do expect to see modest loan growth for the rest of the year.

“While our total deposits experienced a decline due to wholesale deposit payoffs in the first quarter, we are pleased to report that customer deposits increased by $12.5 million and is a result of our commitment to growing customer relationships. Also during the quarter, we strategically sold underperforming securities for a loss which enables us to reinvest those proceeds into higher performing assets and improve our overall earnings.

"We saw an improvement in nonperforming loans and maintain confidence in overall credit quality. Following a period of historically low charge-offs, the few charge-offs observed in recent quarters have not raised any concerns regarding the quality of our portfolio.

“We are proud of the effort and progress our team has made towards achieving our performance objectives and we expect that we will see continued improvement as we move forward.”

Balance Sheet

• Total assets were $3.02 billion at March 31, 2024, a decrease of $37.9 million from December 31, 2023.
• Total loans, including loans held for sale, were at $1.89 billion at March 31, 2024, a decrease of $21.3 million from the quarter ended December 31, 2023.
• Total deposits were $2.52 billion and $2.54 billion at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, a decrease of $22.0 million. Interest bearing demand deposits increased $43.3 million which was offset by decreases in savings and money market deposits of $10.1 million and time deposits of $32.6 million from December 31, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
• Total borrowings at March 31, 2024 totaled $218.0 million, a decrease of $20.5 million or, 8.6%, compared to December 31, 2023, related to decreases in Federal Home Loan Bank advances.

Capital

• Colony continues to maintain a strong capital position, with ratios that exceed regulatory minimums required to be considered as “well-capitalized.”
• Preliminary tier one leverage ratio, tier one capital ratio, total risk-based capital ratio and common equity tier one capital ratio were 9.19%, 13.04%, 15.79%, and 11.90%, respectively, at March 31, 2024.

First Quarter and March 31, 2024 Year to Date Results of Operations

• Net interest income, on a tax-equivalent basis, totaled $18.8 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024 compared to $20.7 million for the same period in 2023. Increases can be seen in income on interest earning assets which is more than offset by increases in expenses on interest bearing liabilities due to the significant rise in interest rates period over period along with increases in FHLB advances. Income on interest earning assets increased $5.0 million, to $33.5 million for the first quarter of 2024 compared to the respective period in 2023. Expense on interest bearing liabilities increased $6.9 million, to $14.7 million for the first quarter of 2024 compared to the respective period in 2023.
• Net interest margin for the first quarter of 2024 was 2.69% compared to 3.08% for the first quarter of 2023. The decrease is the result of rate increases in interest bearing liabilities outpacing the rate increases in interest earning assets.
• Noninterest income totaled $9.5 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024, an increase of $1.8 million, or 23.87%, compared to the same period in 2023. This increase was primarily related to increases in service charges on deposit accounts, mortgage fee income, gains on sales of SBA loans and income on wealth advisory services which is included in other noninterest income which were partially offset by decreases in interchange fee income and losses on the sales of investment securities.
• Noninterest expense totaled $20.4 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024, compared to $21.2 million for the same period in 2023. This decrease was a result of overall decreases in salaries and employee benefits primarily related to the expense initiative in 2023 which lowered total number of employees period over period as well as a decrease in data processing expense as a result of cost savings upon renewal of the core processing contract in second quarter of 2023.

Asset Quality

• Nonperforming assets totaled $7.0 million and $10.7 million at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, a decrease of $3.7 million.
• Other real estate owned and repossessed assets totaled $562,000 at March 31, 2024 and $448,000 at December 31, 2023.
• Net loans charged-off were $664,000, or 0.14% of average loans for the first quarter of 2024, compared to $692,000 or 0.15% for the fourth quarter of 2023.
• The credit loss reserve was $18.7 million, or 1.00% of total loans, at March 31, 2024, compared to $18.4 million, or 0.98% of total loans at December 31, 2023.

Earnings call information

The Company will host an earnings conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 25, 2024, to discuss the recent results and answer appropriate questions. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 800-274-8461 and using the Conference ID: COLONY1Q. A replay of the call will be available until Thursday, May 2, 2024. To listen to the replay, dial 800-757-4761.

About Colony Bankcorp

Colony Bankcorp, Inc. is the bank holding company for Colony Bank. Founded in Fitzgerald, Georgia in 1975, Colony operates locations throughout Georgia and has expanded to serve Birmingham, Alabama, as well as Tallahassee and the Florida Panhandle. At Colony Bank, we offer a range of banking solutions for personal and business customers. In addition to traditional banking services, Colony provides specialized solutions including mortgage, government guaranteed lending, consumer insurance, wealth management, and merchant services. Colony’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “CBAN.” For more information, please visit www.colony.bank. You can also follow the Company on social media.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and subject to the protections of, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, certain statements may be contained in the Company’s future filings with the SEC, in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by or with the approval of the Company that are not statements of historical fact and constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and subject to the protections of, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) projections and/or expectations of revenues, income or loss, earnings or loss per share, the payment or nonpayment of dividends, capital structure and other financial items; (ii) statement of plans and objectives of Colony Bankcorp, Inc. or its management or Board of Directors, including those relating to products or services; (iii) statements of future economic performance; (iv) statements regarding growth strategy, capital management, liquidity and funding, and future profitability; and (v) statements of assumptions underlying such statements. Words such as “may”, “will”, “anticipate”, “assume”, “should”, “support”, “indicate”, “would”, “believe”, “contemplate”, “expect”, “estimate”, “continue”, “further”, “plan”, “point to”, “project”, “could”, “intend”, “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of current and economic conditions, particularly those affecting the financial services industry, including the effects of declines in the real estate market, high unemployment rates, inflationary pressures, elevated interest rates and slowdowns in economic growth, as well as the financial stress on borrowers as a result of the foregoing; the risk of potential reductions in benchmark interest rates and the resulting impacts on net interest income; potential impacts of adverse developments in the banking industry highlighted by high-profile bank failures, including impacts on customer confidence, deposit outflows, liquidity and the regulatory response thereto; risks arising from media coverage of the banking industry; risks arising from perceived instability in the banking sector; the risks of changes in interest rates and their effects on the level, cost, and composition of, and competition for, deposits, loan demand and timing of payments, the values of loan collateral, securities, and interest sensitive assets and liabilities; the ability to attract new or retain existing deposits, to retain or grow loans or additional interest and fee income, or to control noninterest expense; the effect of pricing pressures on the Company’s net interest margin; the failure of assumptions underlying the establishment of reserves for possible credit losses, fair value for loans and other real estate owned; changes in real estate values; the Company’s ability to implement its various strategic and growth initiatives; increased competition in the financial services industry, particularly from regional and national institutions, as well as from fintech companies; economic conditions, either nationally or locally, in areas in which the Company conducts operations being less favorable than expected; changes in the prices, values and sales volumes of residential and commercial real estate; developments in our mortgage banking business, including loan modifications, general demand, and the effects of judicial or regulatory requirements or guidance; legislation or regulatory changes which adversely affect the ability of the consolidated Company to conduct business combinations or new operations; adverse results from current or future litigation, regulatory examinations or other legal and/or regulatory actions, including as a result of the Company’s participation in and execution of government programs; significant turbulence or a disruption in the capital or financial markets and the effect of a fall in the stock market prices on our investment securities; the effects of war or other conflicts including the impacts related to or resulting from Russia’s military action in Ukraine or the conflict in Israel and surrounding areas; risks related to the Company’s recently completed acquisitions, including that the anticipated benefits from the recently completed acquisitions are not realized in the time frame anticipated or at all as a result of changes in general economic and market conditions or other unexpected factors or events; the risks associated with the Company’s pursuit of future acquisitions; the impact of generative artificial intelligence; fraud or misconduct by internal or external actors, and system failures, cybersecurity threats or security breaches and the cost of defending against them; a deterioration of the credit rating for U.S. long-term sovereign debt, actions that the U.S. government may take to avoid exceeding the debt ceiling, and uncertainties surrounding debt ceiling and the federal budget; a potential U.S. federal government shutdown and the resulting impacts; and general competitive, economic, political and market conditions or other unexpected factors or events. These and other factors, risks and uncertainties could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made. These forward-looking statements are based upon information presently known to the Company’s management and are inherently subjective, uncertain and subject to change due to any number of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the risks and other factors set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, under the captions “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors,” and in the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Explanation of Certain Unaudited Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The measures entitled operating noninterest income, operating noninterest expense, operating net income, adjusted earnings per diluted share, operating return on average assets, operating return on average equity, tangible book value per common share, tangible equity to tangible assets, operating efficiency ratio, operating net noninterest expense to average assets and pre-provision net revenue are not measures recognized under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and therefore are considered non-GAAP financial measures. The most comparable GAAP measures are noninterest income, noninterest expense, net income, diluted earnings per share, return on average assets, return on average equity, book value per common share, total equity to total assets, efficiency ratio, net noninterest expense to average assets and net interest income before provision for credit losses, respectively. Operating noninterest income excludes gain on sale of bank premises and loss on sales of securities. Operating noninterest expense excludes acquisition-related expenses and severance costs. Operating net income, operating return on average assets, operating return on average equity and operating efficiency ratio all exclude acquisition-related expenses, severance costs, gain on sale of bank premises and loss on sales of securities from net income, return on average assets, return on average equity and efficiency ratio, respectively. Operating net noninterest expense to average assets ratio excludes from net noninterest expense, severance costs, acquisition-related expenses, gain on sale of bank premises and loss on sales of securities. Acquisition-related expenses includes fees associated with acquisitions and vendor contract buyouts. Severance costs includes costs associated with termination and retirement of employees. Adjusted earnings per diluted share includes the adjustments to operating net income. Tangible book value per common share and tangible equity to tangible assets exclude goodwill and other intangibles from book value per common share and total equity to total assets, respectively. Pre-provision net revenue is calculated by adding noninterest income to net interest income before provision for credit losses, and subtracting noninterest expense.

Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in its analysis of the Company's performance and believes these presentations provide useful supplemental information, and a clearer understanding of the Company's performance, and if not provided would be requested by the investor community. The Company believes the non-GAAP measures enhance investors' understanding of the Company's business and performance. These measures are also useful in understanding performance trends and facilitate comparisons with the performance of other financial institutions. The limitations associated with operating measures are the risk that persons might disagree as to the appropriateness of items comprising these measures and that different companies might calculate these measures differently.

These disclosures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP. The computations of operating noninterest income, operating noninterest expense, operating net income, adjusted earnings per diluted share, operating return on average assets, operating return on average equity, tangible book value per common share, tangible equity to tangible assets, operating efficiency ratio, operating net noninterest expense to average assets and pre-provision net revenue and the reconciliation of these measures to noninterest income, noninterest expense, net income, diluted earnings per share, return on average assets, return on average equity, book value per common share, total equity to total assets, efficiency ratio, net noninterest expense to average assets and net interest income before provision for credit losses are set forth in the table below.