Waterstone Financial's Q2 Earnings Up Y/Y on Community Bank Gains

Core Insights - Waterstone Financial, Inc. reported a significant increase in earnings per share (EPS) for Q2 2025, rising to 43 cents from 31 cents in Q2 2024, marking a 39% increase [2] - The company's net income for the quarter was $7.7 million, up from $5.7 million in the same period last year [3] - The net interest margin improved to 2.60%, up from 2.01% year-over-year, indicating better yields on interest-earning assets [4] Financial Performance - Revenue from net interest income increased to $13.7 million from $10.9 million year-over-year, while noninterest income decreased to $24.3 million from $26.5 million [2] - Total assets as of June 30, 2025, were $2.22 billion, slightly up from $2.21 billion at the end of 2024 [4] - The loan portfolio saw a decline, with loans receivable at $1.64 billion, down from $1.7 billion in December 2024 [4] Shareholder Actions - The company repurchased approximately 508,000 shares at an average cost of $12.80 per share, increasing book value per share to $18.19 from $17.53 [5] - Dividends declared remained steady at 15 cents per share [5] Management Commentary - The CEO highlighted strong earnings performance, particularly in the community banking segment, which saw a 50.4% increase in pre-tax income to $7.6 million [6] - The community banking segment's growth was attributed to a $2.4 million increase in net interest income and effective expense management [6] Mortgage Banking Insights - Mortgage originations declined by 7.1% year-over-year to $588.8 million, with purchase originations making up 91.7% of the total [7] - Noninterest income from mortgage banking fell by 9.7% to $22.6 million, while gross margin on loans sold decreased to 3.8% from 3.9% [7] - Compensation and employee benefits expenses decreased by 3.4%, aiding earnings despite a decline in mortgage revenue [7]