Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.70 EPS

Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.70, Zacks reports. Metropolitan Bank had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 8.71%. The business had revenue of $88.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $83.15 million.

Metropolitan Bank Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MCB opened at $79.66 on Wednesday. Metropolitan Bank has a one year low of $47.08 and a one year high of $83.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $76.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $820.54 million, a P/E ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 1.13.

Metropolitan Bank Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a positive change from Metropolitan Bank’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 27th. Metropolitan Bank’s payout ratio is presently 10.42%.

Insider Activity at Metropolitan Bank

In related news, EVP Nick Rosenberg sold 625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.41, for a total value of $50,256.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 27,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,178,226.49. This represents a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Daniel F. Dougherty acquired 1,000 shares of Metropolitan Bank stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $71.66 per share, for a total transaction of $71,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 27,341 shares in the company, valued at $1,959,256.06. The trade was a 3.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 1,167 shares of company stock worth $83,010 over the last 90 days. 6.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Metropolitan Bank

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MCB. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Metropolitan Bank in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Metropolitan Bank by 41.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Metropolitan Bank in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $208,000. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Metropolitan Bank during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $292,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Metropolitan Bank during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $329,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MCB. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Metropolitan Bank from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Metropolitan Bank in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.50.

Key Metropolitan Bank News

Here are the key news stories impacting Metropolitan Bank this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Metropolitan reported Q4 net income of $28.9M and diluted EPS roughly $2.77, topping consensus (~$2.07). Revenue grew materially year-over-year (~24%) and management pointed to margin expansion; the results spurred price strength. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong top-line and cash flow signals — third?party reports cite revenue of ~$88.4M (up ~24.5% YoY) and substantially improved cash from operations, underscoring earnings quality and liquidity improvements. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 (33% hike), signaling confidence in cash generation and returning capital to shareholders; ex-dividend date set for Jan 27. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — at least one recent analyst upgrade/outperform rating (Keefe, Bruyette & Woods) provides additional validation for the stock’s rally. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and previews — several outlets ran previews and outlook pieces heading into the print; these set expectations and likely amplified intraday moves but did not contain new company guidance. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional flows — recent 13F/holding summaries show both sizeable additions and removals by institutions, indicating divergent positioning among large investors that could increase volatility around future prints. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Quiver’s summary shows a number of insider sales in recent months (far more sales than purchases), which some investors view as a cautionary sign despite the quarter’s strength. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed underlying profitability metrics — one data vendor flagged declines in gross profit and operating profit in certain line items despite higher net income, suggesting some noise or one-time items in the quarter that investors should dig into on the 10?Q/earnings deck. Read More.

Metropolitan Bank Company Profile

Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB), through its principal subsidiary Metropolitan Commercial Bank, operates as a New York–based regional financial institution providing a range of commercial and consumer banking services. The company offers deposit products including checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as business and personal certificates of deposit. On the lending side, Metropolitan Bank extends commercial real estate financing, equipment loans, working capital lines of credit and consumer installment loans tailored to the needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises and individual customers.

In addition to traditional deposit and lending services, Metropolitan Bank provides specialized treasury and cash-management solutions, foreign exchange services and letters of credit for both domestic businesses and multinational clients.