KS Bancorp, Inc. (KSBI) Announces Fourth Quarter 2016 Financial Results and Dividend

SMITHFIELD, N.C., Jan. 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KS Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) (OTCBB:KSBI), parent company of KS Bank, Inc. (the “Bank”), announced unaudited net income of $610,000, or $.47 per diluted share, for the three months ended December 31, 2016, compared to a net income of $417,000, or $.32 per diluted share, for the three months ended December 31, 2015.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, net income totaled $2.1 million, a $693,000 increase, or 49% from $1.4 million for the same period ended December 31, 2015. Net income per common share increased from $1.08 at December 31, 2015 to $1.61 at December 31, 2016.

Net interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2016 was $2.9 million, compared to $2.7 million for the same period in 2015. Non-interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2016 was $739,000, compared to $615,000 for the same period ended December 31, 2015.  There was a slight increase in noninterest expense for the three months ended December 31, 2016. Noninterest expense was $2.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2016, as compared to $2.5 million for the same period ended December 31, 2015.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, net interest income was $11.2 million compared to $10.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.  Noninterest income increased 33% or $699,000 from $2.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 to $2.8 million for the same period ended December 31, 2016.  The increase in noninterest income is primarily attributable to income from the Company’s Trust Department Division.  For the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, noninterest expense was $10.7 million, as compared to $10.3 million for the same period ended December 31, 2015.

The Company’s unaudited consolidated total assets increased $22.3 million to $359.7 million at December 31, 2016, compared to $337.4 million at December 31, 2015. Net loan balances increased $18.4 million with a balance of $266.0 million at December 31, 2016, compared to $247.6 million at December 31, 2015. The Company’s investment securities totaled $66.2 million at December 31, 2016, compared to $67.6 million at December 31, 2015 which reflects a $1.4 million decrease.  Total deposits increased 11.0% or $28.2 million to $285.7 million at December 31, 2016, compared to $257.5 million at December 31, 2015. Total stockholders’ equity increased $1.5 million from $22.9 million at December 31, 2015 to $24.4 million at December 31, 2016.

Nonperforming assets, which includes nonaccrual loans and foreclosed real estate, represent less than 1.0% of the total assets. The nonperforming assets consist of $193,000 in foreclosed real estate and $2.1 million in nonaccrual loans. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, $5,000 was expensed to the provision for loan losses. The allowance for loan losses at December 31, 2016 totaled $3.8 million, or 1.40% of all outstanding loans.

KS Bank continues to be well-capitalized according to regulatory standards with total risk-based capital of 14.02%, tier 1 risk-based capital of 12.95%, common equity tier 1 risk-based capital of 12.76%, and a tier 1 leverage ratio of 9.69% at December 31, 2016. The minimum levels to be considered well-capitalized for each of these ratios are 10.0%, 8.0%, 6.5%, and 5.0%, respectively.

In addition, the Company announced today that its Board of Directors voted to declare an annual dividend based on 2016 earnings of $.12 per share for stockholders of record on January 30, 2017 with payment to be made on February 14, 2017.

Commenting on the year end results, Harold T. Keen, President/CEO stated, “Reflecting on 2016, we are extremely pleased that we were able to increase net income by 49% over the 2015 year end results. The Bank continues to experience steady asset growth with increased profitability due to our ability to grow loans and core deposits.  Our Team has made great efforts in all of these areas.  We will continue to focus on community banking and serving the communities where we live, work, play, and volunteer.”  

KS Bancorp, Inc. is a Smithfield, North Carolina-based single bank holding company. KS Bank, Inc., a state-chartered savings bank, is KS Bancorp’s sole subsidiary.  The Bank is a full service community bank serving the citizens of eastern North Carolina since 1924. The Bank offers a broad range of personal and business banking products and services, mortgage products and wealth management advisory services. There are nine full service branches located in Kenly, Selma, Clayton, Garner, Goldsboro, Wilson, Wendell, Smithfield, and Four Oaks, North Carolina plus a mortgage servicing location in Greenville, NC. In addition, KS Wealth Management has an office in Asheboro, NC and maintains a presence in Waynesville and Wilmington, NC.  For more information, visit www.ksbankinc.com.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company.  These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management of the Company and on the information available to management at the time that these disclosures were prepared. These statements can be identified by the use of words like “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate” and “believe,” variations of these words and other similar expressions.  Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.  The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.