West Bancorporation, Inc. Announces Record Net Income, Declares Quarterly Dividend

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq: WTBA; the “Company”), parent company of West Bank, today reported 2019 net income of $28.7 million, or $1.74 per diluted common share, compared to 2018 net income of $28.5 million, or $1.74 per diluted common share. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $7.6 million, or $0.46 per diluted common share. This compares to fourth quarter 2018 net income of $7.2 million, or $0.44 per diluted common share. On January 22, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.21 per common share. The dividend is payable on February 19, 2020, to stockholders of record on February 5, 2020.

In March 2019, the Company announced that, through its subsidiary, West Bank, it was initiating a growth strategy in three new Minnesota markets and has since opened full service branch offices in Owatonna, Mankato and St. Cloud, Minnesota. The financial results of 2019 have been impacted by compensation, occupancy and equipment costs, professional fees and business development costs related to this growth strategy, which totaled approximately $2.8 million on a pretax basis in 2019. The estimated pretax net interest income from loans and deposits and related fee income in these markets was approximately $1.1 million in 2019.

“We continue to successfully execute on our strategic priorities and at the same time deliver consistently strong financial results,” commented Dave Nelson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “Despite the additional expenses in 2019 from our investment in opening branches in three new markets, the Company still achieved an all-time record for annual earnings. While continued net interest margin compression along with the cost of our expansion have presented financial challenges, we continue to benefit from our ability to manage credit quality and our disciplined approach to expense management.”

Dave Nelson also commented, “Our highly talented bankers in our new Minnesota communities generated over $119 million in loan originations in those markets in 2019. We are starting to see positive financial results from this expansion, and the results confirm our commitment to building shareholder value. We are beginning the new year with a positive return on our investment in our expanded markets which we believe will contribute to increased earnings in 2020.”

The Company will file its report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before February 27, 2020. Please refer to that document for a more in-depth discussion of our financial results. The Form 10-K will be available on the Investor Relations section of West Bank’s website at www.westbankstrong.com.

The Company will discuss its financial results on a conference call scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Central Time tomorrow, Friday, January 24, 2020. The telephone number for the conference call is 888-339-0814. A recording of the call will be available until February 7, 2020, by dialing 877-344-7529. The replay passcode is 10137421.

About West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq: WTBA)
West Bancorporation, Inc. is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Serving customers since 1893, West Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of West Bancorporation, Inc., is a community bank that focuses on lending, deposit services, and trust services for consumers and small- to medium-sized businesses. West Bank has eight offices in the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area, one office in Coralville, Iowa, and four offices in Minnesota, in the cities of Rochester, Owatonna, Mankato and St. Cloud.

Certain statements in this report, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to the Company’s business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this report. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “future,” “confident,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “strategy,” “plan,” “opportunity,” “will be,” “will likely result,” “will continue” or similar references, or references to estimates, predictions or future events. Such forward-looking statements are based upon certain underlying assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Because of the possibility that the underlying assumptions are incorrect or do not materialize as expected in the future, actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may affect future results include: interest rate risk; competitive pressures; pricing pressures on loans and deposits; changes in credit and other risks posed by the Company’s loan and investment portfolios, including declines in commercial or residential real estate values or changes in the allowance for loan losses dictated by new market conditions or regulatory requirements; actions of bank and nonbank competitors; changes in local, national and international economic conditions; changes in legal and regulatory requirements, limitations and costs; changes in customers’ acceptance of the Company’s products and services; cyber-attacks; unexpected outcomes of existing or new litigation involving the Company; the monetary, trade and other regulatory policies of the U.S. government; acts of war or terrorism or other adverse external events; and any other risks described in the “Risk Factors” sections of other reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update such forward-looking statements to reflect current or future events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

(1) The prices shown are the high and low sale prices for the Company’s common stock, which trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol WTBA. The market quotations, reported by Nasdaq, do not include retail markup, markdown or commissions.

* A lower ratio is more desirable. 

Definitions of ratios:

• Return on average assets - annualized net income divided by average assets.
• Return on average equity - annualized net income divided by average stockholders’ equity.
• Net interest margin⁽¹⁾ - annualized tax-equivalent net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.
• Efficiency ratio⁽¹⁾ - noninterest expense (excluding other real estate owned expense) divided by noninterest income (excluding net securities gains/losses and gains/losses on disposition of premises and equipment) plus tax-equivalent net interest income.
• Texas ratio - total nonperforming assets divided by tangible common equity plus the allowance for loan losses.
• Allowance for loan losses ratio - allowance for loan losses divided by total loans.
• Tangible common equity ratio - common equity less intangible assets (none held) divided by tangible assets.

(1) Non-GAAP financial measures - see reconciliation below.

WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Financial Information (continued) (unaudited)
(dollars in thousands)

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This report contains references to financial measures that are not defined in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The following table reconciles the non-GAAP financial measures of net interest income, net interest margin and efficiency ratio on a fully taxable equivalent (FTE) basis to GAAP.

(1) Computed on a tax-equivalent basis using a federal income tax rate of 21 percent, adjusted to reflect the effect of the nondeductible interest expense associated with owning tax-exempt securities and loans. Management believes the presentation of this non-GAAP measure provides supplemental useful information for proper understanding of the financial results, as it enhances the comparability of income arising from taxable and nontaxable sources.
(2) The efficiency ratio expresses noninterest expense as a percent of fully taxable equivalent net interest income and noninterest income, excluding specific noninterest income and expenses. Management believes the presentation of this non-GAAP measure provides supplemental useful information for proper understanding of the financial performance. It is a standard measure of comparison within the banking industry.

For more information contact:
Doug Gulling
Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
(515) 222-2309