Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Reports Strong Fourth Quarter Results with Earnings Per Share Increasing By 15% On a Linked Quarter Basis

Core Insights - Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. reported a record quarterly revenue of $124 million for Q4 2025, reflecting strong performance in core deposits and business loans [5][6] - The company achieved a net income available to common stockholders of $30.0 million, or $0.68 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, compared to $25.8 million, or $0.59 per diluted common share, for the previous quarter [3][39] - The adjusted diluted EPS for Q4 2025 was $0.79, an 88% increase year-over-year, indicating effective execution of the company's organic growth strategy [4][5] Financial Performance - For the year ended December 31, 2025, net income available to common stockholders was $103.4 million, or $2.36 per diluted common share, significantly up from $21.8 million, or $0.55 per diluted common share, in 2024 [2][39] - Net interest income for Q4 2025 was $112.3 million, up from $103.4 million in Q3 2025 and $91.1 million in Q4 2024, with a net interest margin of 3.11% [7][39] - Total deposits increased by $1.16 billion year-over-year, reaching $12.84 billion at the end of Q4 2025 [15][39] Loan and Deposit Growth - Core deposits (excluding brokered and time deposits) increased by $1.26 billion year-over-year, while business loans grew by $177.9 million on a linked quarter basis and $514.0 million year-over-year [9][15] - The loan-to-deposit ratio declined to 83.8% at the end of Q4 2025, down from 88.9% in the previous quarter, indicating a strong deposit growth relative to loans [9][39] Credit Quality and Capital Management - Non-performing loans decreased to $52.3 million at December 31, 2025, compared to $72.1 million at September 30, 2025, and $49.5 million at December 31, 2024 [22][39] - Stockholders' equity increased to $1.48 billion at December 31, 2025, with a Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio of 11.66% [23][39] Efficiency and Expense Management - The efficiency ratio improved to 52.6% in Q4 2025, down from 53.8% in the previous quarter and significantly better than 105.9% in Q4 2024 [20][39] - Total non-interest expense was $65.1 million in Q4 2025, compared to $62.2 million in Q3 2025 and $60.6 million in Q4 2024 [18][39]