First Community Bankshares, Inc. Announces Record Third Quarter Results and Quarterly Cash Dividend

(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) BLUEFIELD, Va., Oct. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Community Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCBC) ( ) (the“Company”) today reported its unaudited results of operations and other financial information for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. The Company reported net income of $12.61 million, or $0.73 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, which was an increase of $0.26 per diluted common share, or 55.32%, over the same quarter of 2020. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, was $40.61 million, or $2.32 per diluted common share, which represents a 69.34% increase in diluted earnings per share compared to the same period of 2020.

The Company also declared a quarterly cash dividend to common shareholders of twenty-seven cents ($0.27) per common share, which is an increase of 8.00% over the same quarter last year. The quarterly dividend is payable to common shareholders of record on November 5, 2021, and is expected to be paid on or about November 19, 2021. 2021 is the 36th consecutive year of regular dividends to common shareholders.

Third Quarter 2021 and Current Highlights

General

• Net income for the quarter increased $4.34 million to $12.61 million compared to the same quarter of 2020. The large increase in net income reflects the reversal of $1.39 million in allowance for credit losses for the third quarter of 2021 compared to $4.70 million in loan loss provision recorded in the third quarter of 2020. Net income for the nine month period ended September 30, 2021, increased $16.24 million compared to the same period of 2020. Similarly, for the nine-month period, a reversal of $7.63 million in the allowance for credit losses for 2021 compared to $12.03 million in loan loss provision for the same period in 2020 accounts for a large part of the increase in net income over the same period in 2020. The decreases in credit loss provisioning are primarily due to significantly improved economic forecasts and GDP growth in the current year, versus prior year provisioning driven by the pandemic.
• During the third quarter, the Company repurchased 277,386 common shares for $8.46 million. Year-to-date the Company has repurchased 726,686 common shares for $21.43 million.
• The Company terminated its last loss share agreement with the FDIC and received a payment of $176 thousand in consideration. The termination eliminates the FDIC guarantee on particular loan losses associated with Waccamaw Bank and largely removes future responsibility related to the agreement.

Income Statement

• Diluted earnings per share increased $0.26 to $0.73 compared to the same quarter of 2020. Diluted earnings per share for the nine-month period increased $0.95 to $2.32 compared to 2020.
• Due to continued improving economic forecasts, as well as strong credit quality metrics, the Company released allowance for credit losses for the quarter resulting in a reversal of $1.39 million in the provision for credit losses; a significant improvement from the $4.70 million loan loss provision recorded in the third quarter of 2020 amidst general economic slowdowns and market conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. For the nine-month period, the Company reversed $7.63 million compared to $12.03 million in loan loss provision recorded for the same period in 2020.
• Annualized return on average equity increased to 11.65% compared to 7.83% over the same quarter of 2020, and annualized return on average equity for the first nine months increased to 12.70% compared to 7.76% for the same period last year.
• Annualized return on average assets increased to 1.59% compared to 1.11% over the same quarter of 2020, while year-to-date annualized return on average assets increased to 1.74% compared to 1.14% for the same period of 2020.
• Non-interest income for the third quarter of 2021 increased $1.08 million, or 14.17%, compared to the prior year. Year-to-date non-interest income increased 13.51% to $25.09 million compared to last year. Both increases are largely attributable to increases in other service charges due to the more vibrant state of local economies with increased customer activity compared with last year.

Balance Sheet and Asset Quality

• Net charge-offs for the third quarter of 2021 were $586 thousand, or 0.11% annualized of average loans, and non-performing loans to total loans remains a very low 1.05%.
• The SBA had forgiven $56.74 million, or 93.03%, of the Company's first round Paycheck Protection Program loan balances through September 30, 2021. Current PPP loan balances at September 30, 2021, which include second round originations were, $26.93 million.
• Book value per share at September 30, 2021, was $25.03, an increase of $0.95 from year-end 2020.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), the Company uses certain non-GAAP financial measures that provide useful information for financial and operational decision making, evaluating trends, and comparing financial results to other financial institutions. The non-GAAP financial measures presented in this news release include“tangible book value per common share,”“return on average tangible common equity,”“adjusted earnings,”“adjusted diluted earnings per share,”“adjusted return on average assets,”“adjusted return on average common equity,”“adjusted return on average tangible common equity,” and certain financial measures presented on a fully taxable equivalent (“FTE”) basis. FTE basis is calculated using the federal statutory income tax rate of 21%. While the Company believes certain non-GAAP financial measures enhance the understanding of its business and performance, they are supplemental and not a substitute for, or more important than, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP and may not be comparable to those reported by other financial institutions.

About First Community Bankshares, Inc.

First Community Bankshares, Inc., a financial holding company headquartered in Bluefield, Virginia, provides banking products and services through its wholly owned subsidiary First Community Bank. First Community Bank operated 49 branch banking locations in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee as of September 30, 2021. First Community Bank offers wealth management and investment advice through its Trust Division and First Community Wealth Management, which collectively managed and administered $1.27 billion in combined assets as of September 30, 2021. The Company reported consolidated assets of $3.14 billion as of September 30, 2021. The Company's common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the trading symbol,“FCBC”. Additional investor information is available on the Company's website at

This news release may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially. These risks include: changes in business or other market conditions; the timely development, production and acceptance of new products and services; the challenge of managing asset/liability levels; the management of credit risk and interest rate risk; the difficulty of keeping expense growth at modest levels while increasing revenues; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year end. Pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

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