Hilltop Holdings(HTH) - 2025 Q3 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Hilltop reported net income of approximately $46 million or $0.74 per diluted share for the third quarter [4] - Return on average assets for the period was 1.2% and return on average equity was 8.35% [4] - Net interest income increased by $7.4 million or 7% year-over-year, driven by improving deposit costs and growth in new higher yielding commercial loans [18] - Tangible book value per share increased by $0.67 to $31.23 [11] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - PlainsCapital Bank generated $55 million of pretax income on $12.6 billion of average assets, resulting in a return on average assets of 1.34% [5] - PrimeLending reported a pretax loss of $7 million due to subdued mortgage origination volumes [7] - Hilltop Securities produced pretax income of $26.5 million on net revenues of $144.5 million, achieving a pretax margin of 18% [9] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total core deposits at PlainsCapital increased by 6% on a linked quarter basis [6] - Existing home sales across the country reached their lowest level in over thirty years, impacting PrimeLending's performance [8] - Hilltop Securities experienced a 28% year-over-year increase in net revenues in public finance services [9] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to increase market share despite elevated competition in Texas [6] - Hilltop Securities continues to invest in core areas of expertise and leverage its national brand [10] - The leadership team at PrimeLending is focused on optimizing costs and productivity to restore profitability [21] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted ongoing challenges in the mortgage market due to higher interest rates and home prices [21] - The company anticipates one additional 25 basis point rate cut in 2025, followed by two more in 2026 [18] - Management remains vigilant in assessing risk and negative credit migration, focusing on early detection and aggressive workout when necessary [26] Other Important Information - The allowance for credit losses declined by $2.8 million to $95 million, resulting in a coverage ratio of 1.16% [15] - The company returned $11 million to stockholders through dividends and repurchased $55 million in shares [11] - A leadership transition is occurring at PlainsCapital Bank with the retirement of the Chief Credit Officer [12] Q&A Session Summary Question: NII guidance and near-term outlook - Management explained that they remain asset sensitive and did not increase the overall loan growth profile due to expected paydowns and production [30] Question: Stock buybacks and M&A outlook - Management confirmed they are leaning into share repurchases given their excess capital position and discussed opportunities in the Texas market for potential M&A [37][38] Question: Auto portfolio exposure - Management acknowledged subprime exposure in the auto financing sector but emphasized their proactive management and workout efforts [40][46] Question: Broker dealer fee income - Management noted strong performance across all business units in the broker dealer segment but expects some reversion to lower levels in the future [49][51]