Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBMT), the holding company for Opportunity Bank of Montana, reported a 26.7% increase in net income for the fourth quarter of 2024, reaching $3.4 million, or $0.44 per diluted share. This marks an improvement from $2.7 million ($0.34 per share) in the previous quarter and a 58.6% increase from $2.2 million ($0.28 per share) in Q4 2023.
For the full year ending December 31, 2024, Eagle posted a net income of $9.8 million ($1.24 per diluted share), slightly down from $10.1 million ($1.29 per share) in 2023.
The company’s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1425 per share, payable on March 7, 2025, to shareholders of record as of February 14, 2025. The dividend represents an annualized yield of 3.93% based on recent stock prices.
Key Financial Highlights for Q4 2024:
- Net interest margin (NIM) rose to 3.59%, up from 3.34% in Q3 2024 and 3.32% in Q4 2023.
- Total loans grew 2.4% year-over-year, reaching $1.52 billion, though they saw a slight 0.9% decline from Q3 2024.
- Total deposits increased 2.8% year-over-year to $1.68 billion, with a $30.7 million increase from the previous quarter.
- Revenues rose 2.8% quarter-over-quarter to $21.4 million and were up 1.7% from a year earlier.
- Allowance for credit losses remained steady at 1.11% of portfolio loans, with coverage for nonperforming loans rising significantly to 437.7% from 195.2% in 2023.
- Available borrowing capacity grew to $404.0 million, compared to $398.5 million in 2023.
“Eagle’s fourth-quarter results were driven by strong deposit growth, increased revenue, and an expanding net interest margin,” said Laura F. Clark, President and CEO. “While loan growth has moderated, we anticipate steady single-digit growth in the coming year.”
Eagle Bancorp Montana continues to maintain a stable core deposit base, with non-CD accounts representing 72.4% of total deposits at year-end. The company remains focused on sustaining credit quality and positioning for continued growth in 2025.