Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana Reports Results of Operations for the Three and Six Months Ended December 31, 2024

Shreveport, La, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: HFBL), the holding company of Home Federal Bank, reported net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, of $1.02 million compared to net income of $1.00 million reported for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.33 for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The Company reported net income of $2.0 million for the six months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $2.2 million for the six months ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.64 for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to $0.73 and $0.72, respectively, for the six months ended December 31, 2023.

The Company reported the following highlights during the six months ended December 31, 2024:

  • Nonperforming assets totaled $1.8 million, or 0.30% of total assets at December 31, 2024 compared to $1.9 million, or 0.30% of total assets, at June 30, 2024.
  • There were no advances from the FHLB at December 31, 2024 or June 30, 2024.
  • Other borrowings totaled $4.0 million at December 31, 2024 compared to $7.0 million at June 30, 2024.

The increase in net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023 resulted primarily from a decrease of $413,000, or 9.7%, in non-interest expense and an increase of $351,000, or 256.2%, in non-interest income, partially offset by an increase of $383,000, or 195.4%, in provision for income taxes, a decrease of $303,000, or 6.2%, in net interest income, and an increase of $61,000, or 381.3%, in the provision for credit losses. The decrease in net interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023, was primarily due to a decrease of $422,000, or 5.2%, in total interest income, partially offset by a decrease of $119,000, or 3.7%, in total interest expense. The Company’s average interest rate spread was 2.40% for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to 2.45% for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s net interest margin was 3.12% for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to 3.14% for the three months ended December 31, 2023.

The decrease in net income for the six months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023 resulted primarily from a decrease of $1.2 million, or 11.4%, in net interest income and an increase of $71,000, or 62.3%, in provision for income taxes, partially offset by a decrease of $591,000, or 7.0%, in non-interest expense, an increase of $216,000, or 37.8%, in non-interest income, and an increase of $162,000 in the recovery of credit losses. The decrease in net interest income for the six months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023, was primarily due to a decrease of $755,000, or 4.7%, in total interest income and an increase of $405,000, or 6.8%, in total interest expense. The Company’s average interest rate spread was 2.32% for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to 2.60% for the six months ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s net interest margin was 3.06% for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to 3.26% for the six months ended December 31, 2023.

The following tables set forth the Company’s average balances and average yields earned and rates paid on its interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated.

    For the Three Months Ended December 31,  
    2024     2023  
    Average

Balance
    Average

Yield/Rate
    Average

Balance
    Average

Yield/Rate
 
    (Dollars in thousands)  
Interest-earning assets:                                
Loans receivable   $ 457,553       5.89 %   $ 507,844       5.78 %
Investment securities     96,715       2.19       109,485       2.43  
Interest-earning deposits     29,653       4.47       1,751       2.95  
Total interest-earning assets   $ 583,921       5.20 %   $ 619,080       5.18 %
                                 
Interest-bearing liabilities:                                
Savings accounts   $ 90,696       1.71 %   $ 73,228       0.40 %
NOW accounts     70,685       1.26       65,252       0.43  
Money market accounts     79,365       2.21       95,763       2.49  
Certificates of deposit     188,929       4.03       212,792       4.01  
Total interest-bearing deposits     429,675       2.75       447,035       2.57  
Other bank borrowings     4,489       7.16       9,202       8.58  
FHLB advances                 5,379       5.75  
Total interest-bearing liabilities   $ 434,164       2.80 %   $ 461,616       2.73 %

    For the Six Months Ended December 31,  
    2024     2023  
    Average

Balance
    Average

Yield/Rate
    Average

Balance
    Average

Yield/Rate
 
    (Dollars in thousands)  
Interest-earning assets:                                
Loans receivable   $ 461,531       5.88 %   $ 503,043       5.79 %
Investment securities     96,732       2.14       111,535       2.46  
Interest-earning deposits     27,635       4.81       5,843       3.43  
Total interest-earning assets   $ 585,898       5.21 %   $ 620,421       5.16 %
                                 
Interest-bearing liabilities:                                
Savings accounts   $ 86,626       1.66 %   $ 75,900       0.39 %
NOW accounts     71,736       1.18       66,639       0.41  
Money market accounts     77,290       2.29       102,327       2.37  
Certificates of deposit     196,443       4.17       203,779       3.88  
Total interest-bearing deposits     432,095       2.83       448,645       2.43  
Other bank borrowings     5,239       7.50       8,928       8.47  
FHLB advances                 3,259       5.66  
Total interest-bearing liabilities   $ 437,334       2.89 %   $ 460,832       2.57 %

The $351,000 increase in non-interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to the prior year quarterly period, was primarily due to a decrease of $369,000 in loss on sale of real estate, an increase of $62,000 in other non-interest income, and an increase of $2,000 in income on bank owned life insurance, partially offset by a decrease of $71,000 in gain on sale of loans, an increase of $6,000 in loss on sale of securities, and a decrease of $5,000 in service charges on deposit accounts. The $216,000 increase in non-interest income for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year six-month period was primarily due to a decrease of $149,000 in loss on sale of real estate, an increase of $88,000 in other non-interest income, and an increase of $4,000 in income from bank owned life insurance, partially offset by a decrease of $14,000 in gain on sale of loans, an increase of $6,000 in loss on sale of securities, and a decrease of $5,000 in service charges on deposit accounts.

The $413,000 decrease in non-interest expense for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, is primarily attributable to decreases of $163,000 in franchise and bank shares tax expense, $132,000 in other non-interest expense, $99,000 in compensation and benefits expense, $80,000 in audit and examination fees, $53,000 in professional fees, $38,000 in advertising expense, $33,000 in deposit insurance premium expense, $13,000 in amortization of core deposit intangible expense, $7,000 in occupancy and equipment expense, and $2,000 in loan and collection expense. The decreases were partially offset by an increase of $207,000 in data processing expense. The $591,000 decrease in non-interest expense for the six months ended December 31, 2024, compared to the same six-month period in 2023, is primarily attributable to decreases of $153,000 in compensation and benefits expense, $151,000 in franchise and bank shares tax expense, $124,000 in advertising expense, $105,000 in other non-interest expense, $96,000 in professional fees, $50,000 in audit and examination fees, $34,000 in loan and collection expense, $34,000 in deposit insurance premium expense, and $33,000 in amortization of core deposit intangible expense. The decreases were partially offset by increases of $180,000 in data processing expense and $9,000 in occupancy and equipment expense.

Total assets decreased $29.7 million, or 4.7%, from $637.5 million at June 30, 2024 to $607.8 million at December 31, 2024. The decrease in assets was comprised of decreases in cash and cash equivalents of $15.4 million, or 44.1%, from $34.9 million at June 30, 2024 to $19.5 million at December 31, 2024, net loans receivable of $12.2 million, or 2.6%, from $470.9 million at June 30, 2024 to $458.7 million at December 31, 2024, loans-held-for-sale of $1.5 million, or 87.5%, from $1.7 million at June 30, 2024 to $216,000 at December 31, 2024, premises and equipment of $459,000, or 2.5%, from $18.3 million at June 30, 2024 to $17.8 million at December 31, 2024, real estate owned of $418,000, or 100.0% from $418,000 at June 30, 2024 to none at December 31, 2024, investment securities of $264,000, or 0.3%, from $96.0 million at June 30, 2024 to $95.7 million at December 31, 2024, and core deposit intangible of $146,000, or 12.2%, from $1.2 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.1 million at December 31, 2024, partially offset by increases in deferred tax asset of $357,000, or 30.2%, from $1.2 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.5 million at December 31, 2024, other assets of $195,000, or 14.4%, from $1.3 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.5 million at December 31, 2024, bank owned life insurance of $58,000, or 0.9%, from $6.81 million at June 30, 2024 to $6.87 million at December 31, 2024, and accrued interest receivable of $12,000, or 0.7%, from $1.78 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.79 million at December 31, 2024.

Total liabilities decreased $30.9 million, or 5.3%, from $584.7 million at June 30, 2024 to $553.8 million at December 31, 2024. The decrease in liabilities was comprised of decreases in total deposits of $27.5 million, or 4.8%, from $574.0 million at June 30, 2024 to $546.5 million at December 31, 2024, other borrowings of $3.0 million, or 42.9%, from $7.0 million at June 30, 2024 to $4.0 million at December 31, 2024, advances from borrowers for taxes and insurance of $252,000, or 48.4%, from $521,000 at June 30, 2024 to $269,000 at December 31, 2024, and other accrued expenses and liabilities of $164,000, or 5.2%, from $3.2 million at June 30, 2024 to $3.0 million at December 31, 2024. The decrease in deposits resulted from decreases in certificates of deposit of $30.8 million, or 14.3%, from $214.9 million at June 30, 2024 to $184.1 million at December 31, 2024, money market deposits of $12.2 million, or 14.3%, from $85.5 million at June 30, 2024 to $73.3 million at December 31, 2024, and non-interest deposits of $1.9 million, or 1.5%, from $130.3 million at June 30, 2024 to $128.4 million at December 31, 2024, partially offset by increases in savings deposits of $16.7 million, or 21.7%, from $76.6 million at June 30, 2024 to $93.3 million at December 31, 2024, and NOW accounts of $796,000, or 1.2%, from $66.6 million at June 30, 2024 to $67.4 million at December 31, 2024. The Company had no balances in brokered deposits at December 31, 2024 or June 30, 2024.

At December 31, 2024, the Company had $1.8 million of non-performing assets (defined as non-accruing loans, accruing loans 90 days or more past due, and other real estate owned) compared to $1.9 million on non-performing assets at June 30, 2024, consisting of five one-to-four family residential loans, five home equity loans, two commercial non-real estate loans, and one commercial real-estate loan at December 31, 2024, compared to five one-to-four family residential loans, four home equity loans, three commercial non-real estate loans, and three single-family residences in other real estate owned at June 30, 2024. At December 31, 2024 the Company had eight one-to-four family residential loans, five home equity loans, five commercial non-real-estate loans, two commercial real-estate loans, and one consumer loan classified as substandard, compared to six one-to-four family residential loans, five commercial non-real-estate loans, four home equity loans and one consumer loan classified as substandard at June 30, 2024. There were no loans classified as doubtful at December 31, 2024 or June 30, 2024.

Shareholders’ equity increased $1.1 million, or 2.1%, from $52.8 million at June 30, 2024 to $53.9 million at December 31, 2024. The increase in shareholders’ equity was comprised of net income for the six-month period of $2.0 million, the vesting of restricted stock awards, stock options, and the release of employee stock ownership plan shares totaling $311,000, and proceeds from the issuance of common stock from the exercise of stock options of $19,000, partially offset by an increase in the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive loss of $10,000, dividends paid totaling $816,000, and stock repurchases of $335,000.

Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana is the holding company for Home Federal Bank which conducts business from its ten full-service banking offices and home office in northwest Louisiana.

Statements contained in this news release which are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, and intend, or future or conditional verbs such as will, would, should, could, or may. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

In addition to factors previously disclosed in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and those identified elsewhere in this press release, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which the Company conducts its operations; general economic conditions; legislative and regulatory changes; monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; changes in tax policies, rates and regulations of federal, state and local tax authorities including the effects of the Tax Reform Act; changes in interest rates, deposit flows, the cost of funds, demand for loan products and the demand for financial services, competition, changes in the quality or composition of the Companys loans, investment and mortgage-backed securities portfolios; geographic concentration of the Companys business; fluctuations in real estate values; the adequacy of loan loss reserves; the risk that goodwill and intangibles recorded in the Companys financial statements will become impaired; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines and other economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors affecting the Companys operations, markets, products, services and fees.

HOME FEDERAL BANCORP, INC. OF LOUISIANA
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands except share and per share data)

    December 31, 2024     June 30, 2024  
    (Unaudited)          
ASSETS                
                 
Cash and Cash Equivalents (Includes Interest-Bearing Deposits with Other Banks of $16,389 and $25,505 at December 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024, Respectively)   $ 19,540     $ 34,948  
Securities Available-for-Sale (amortized cost December 31, 2024: $32,930; June 30, 2024: $30,348, Respectively)     29,607       27,037  
Securities Held-to-Maturity (fair value December 31, 2024: $52,451; June 30, 2024: $54,450, Respectively)     64,431       67,302  
Other Securities     1,651       1,614  
Loans Held-for-Sale     216       1,733  
Loans Receivable, Net of Allowance for Credit Losses (December 31, 2024: $4,749; June 30, 2024: $4,574, Respectively)     458,693       470,852  
Accrued Interest Receivable     1,787       1,775  
Premises and Equipment, Net     17,844       18,303  
Bank Owned Life Insurance     6,868       6,810  
Goodwill     2,990       2,990  
Core Deposit Intangible     1,053       1,199  
Deferred Tax Asset     1,538       1,181  
Real Estate Owned           418  
Other Assets     1,545       1,350  
                 
Total Assets   $ 607,763     $ 637,512  
                 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY                
                 
LIABILITIES                
                 
Deposits:                
Non-interest bearing   $ 128,439     $ 130,334  
Interest-bearing     418,105       443,673  
Total Deposits     546,544       574,007  
Advances from Borrowers for Taxes and Insurance     269       521  
Other Borrowings     4,000       7,000  
Other Accrued Expenses and Liabilities     3,017       3,181  
                 
Total Liabilities     553,830       584,709  
                 
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY                
                 
Preferred Stock – $0.01 Par Value; 10,000,000 Shares Authorized: None Issued and Outstanding      –        –  
Common Stock – $0.01 Par Value; 40,000,000 Shares Authorized: 3,132,764 and 3,142,168 Shares Issued and Outstanding at December 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024, Respectively      32        32  
Additional Paid-in Capital     42,010       41,739  
Unearned ESOP Stock     (350 )     (408 )
Retained Earnings     14,866       14,055  
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss     (2,625 )     (2,615 )
                 
Total Shareholders Equity     53,933       52,803  
                 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERSEQUITY   $ 607,763     $ 637,512  

 HOME FEDERAL BANCORP, INC. OF LOUISIANA
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(In thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)

    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    December 31,     December 31,  
    2024     2023     2024     2023  
Interest income                                
Loans, including fees   $ 6,791     $ 7,397     $ 13,686     $ 14,671  
Investment securities     63       210       130       449  
Mortgage-backed securities     470       460       913       933  
Other interest-earning assets     334       13       670       101  
Total interest income     7,658       8,080       15,399       16,154  
Interest expense                                
Deposits     2,977       2,901       6,175       5,494  
Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings           78             93  
Other bank borrowings     81       198       198       381  
Total interest expense     3,058       3,177       6,373       5,968  
Net interest income     4,600       4,903       9,026       10,186  
                                 
Provision for (recovery of) credit losses     45       (16 )     (178 )     (16 )
Net interest income after provision for credit losses     4,555       4,919       9,204       10,202  
                                 
Non-interest income                                
Loss on sale of real estate     (12 )     (381 )     (266 )     (415 )
Gain on sale of loans     5       76       101       115  
Loss on sale of securities     (6 )           (6 )      
Income on Bank-Owned Life Insurance     30       28       58       54  
Service charges on deposit accounts     392       397       783       788  
Other income     79       17       118       30  
                                 
Total non-interest income     488       137       788       572  
                                 
Non-interest expense                                
Compensation and benefits     2,229       2,328       4,531       4,684  
Occupancy and equipment     537       544       1,101       1,092  
Data processing     336       129       554       374  
Audit and examination fees     191       271       323       373  
Franchise and bank shares tax     1       164       169       320  
Advertising     44       82       101       225  
Legal fees     134       187       251       347  
Loan and collection     30       32       58       92  
Amortization Core Deposit Intangible     72       85       146       179  
Deposit insurance premium     75       108       165       199  
Other expenses   187       319       447       552  
                                 
Total non-interest expense     3,836       4,249       7,846       8,437  
                                 
Income before income taxes     1,207       807       2,146       2,337  
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)     187       (196 )     185       114  
                                 
NET INCOME   $ 1,020     $ 1,003     $ 1,961     $ 2,223  
                                 
EARNINGS PER SHARE                                
Basic   $ 0.33     $ 0.33     $ 0.64     $ 0.73  
Diluted   $ 0.33     $ 0.33     $ 0.64     $ 0.72  

    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    December 31,     December 31,  
    2024     2023     2024     2023  
                                 
Selected Operating Ratios

(1)

:
                               
Average interest rate spread     2.40 %     2.45 %     2.32 %     2.60 %
Net interest margin     3.12 %     3.14 %     3.06 %     3.26 %
Return on average assets     0.65 %     0.60 %     0.62 %     0.67 %
Return on average equity     7.76 %     7.81 %     7.50 %     8.64 %
                                 
Asset Quality Ratios

(2)

:
                               
Non-performing assets as a percent of total assets     0.30 %     0.34 %     0.30 %     0.34 %
Allowance for credit losses as a percent of non-performing loans     260.70 %     226.50 %     260.70 %     226.50 %
Allowance for credit losses as a percent of total loans receivable     1.02 %     1.00 %     1.02 %     1.00 %
                                 
Per Share Data:                                
Shares outstanding at period end     3,132,764       3,143,532       3,132,764       3,143,532  
Weighted average shares outstanding:                                
Basic     3,059,305       3,040,006       3,062,666       3,033,341  
Diluted     3,075,221       3,085,271       3,077,371       3,096,546  
Book value per share at period end   $ 17.22     $ 16.73     $ 17.22     $ 16.73  
 _____________________                                
(1) Ratios for the three and six month periods are annualized.
(2) Asset quality ratios are end of period ratios.



James R. Barlow
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
(318) 222-1145