Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
PART II
Market for Common Stock and Dividends
The Company’s common stock trades on NASDAQ, under the ticker symbol “CARE.” As of the close of business on March 8, 2022, we had 2,379 shareholders of record.
Dividends
On October 14, 2016, prior to the Reorganization, the board of directors of the Bank (the "Bank Board") determined that it was prudent not to declare a quarterly cash dividend on the Bank's common stock beginning in the fourth quarter of 2016. Notwithstanding the Bank’s history of paying a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock, the Bank Board believed this decision was necessary and appropriate as the Bank committed, and now the Company commits, additional resources to assist with regulatory compliance, preserve capital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and makes significant investments in new technology and human resources. While recognizing the importance of dividends to its shareholders, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has determined that preservation of capital is of paramount importance at this time.
The Bank Board paid a special one-time cash dividend of $0.14 per share on March 3, 2020. This was a one-time dividend and there are no immediate plans to reinstate a quarterly dividend. The amount and timing of future dividends, if any, remains subject to the discretion of the Board and will depend upon a number of factors, including future earnings, financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements of the Company, applicable governmental regulations and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.
Repurchases of Shares of Common Stock
The following table is a summary of our purchases of common stock during the fourth quarter of 2021:
Period Total number of shares purchased Average Price Paid Per Share Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (1)
Maximum Number of Shares That May Yet be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
10/10/2021 - 10/31/2021 — $— — 2,000,000
11/1/2021 - 11/30/2021 — — — 2,000,000
12/1/2021 - 12/31/2021 30,407 15.22 30,407 1,969,593
Total 30,407 $15.22 30,407 1,969,593
(1) On December 13, 2021, the Company authorized, effective December 10, 2021, a common stock repurchase program to purchase up to two million shares of the Company’s common stock over a period of twelve months. As of December 31, 2021, 30,407 shares of common stock have been repurchased under this program at an average price of $15.22 per share. The program authorizes the purchase of the Company’s common stock in open market transactions or privately negotiated transactions, including pursuant to a trading plan in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 and/or Rule 10b-18 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The authorization permits management to repurchase shares of the Company’s common stock from time to time at management’s discretion. The actual means and timing of any shares purchased under the program will depend on a variety of factors, including the market price of the Company’s common stock, general market and economic conditions, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The repurchase program is authorized through December 9, 2022, although it may be modified or terminated by the Board at any time. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular number of shares.
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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES - (continued)
Five-Year Cumulative Total Return
The following chart compares the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock with the cumulative total return of the NASDAQ Composite Index and S&P U.S. BMI Banks Index, which includes the stocks of banks, thrifts and bank and financial holding companies listed on all major exchanges (NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ) in the S&P Global Market Intelligence’s coverage universe. All SNL indices were retired in 2021, therefore we have replaced that index with the S&P U.S. BMI Banks Index.
Period Ending
Index 12/31/16 12/31/17 12/31/18 12/31/19 12/31/20 12/31/21
Carter Bankshares, Inc. (1)
100.00 132.05 112.87 178.48 81.24 116.63
NASDAQ Composite Index 100.00 129.64 125.96 172.18 249.51 304.85
S&P U.S. BMI Banks Index 100.00 118.21 98.75 135.64 118.33 160.89
(1) An investment in Carter Bankshares, Inc. prior to November 2020 represents an investment in Carter Bank & Trust.
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ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to help the reader understand Carter Bankshares, Inc., our operations, and our present business environment. The MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes thereto contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The MD&A includes the following sections:
• Explanation of Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
• Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
• Our Business
• Results of Operations and Financial Condition
• Capital Resources
• Contractual Obligations
• Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
• Liquidity
• Inflation
• Stock Repurchase Program
This section reviews our financial condition for each of the past two years and results of operations for each of the past three years. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior periods to place them on a basis comparable with the current period presentation. Some tables may include additional time periods to illustrate trends within our Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto. The results of operations reported in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected in future periods.
Explanation of Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to the results of operations presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States, management uses, and this annual report references, adjusted net interest income on a fully taxable equivalent, or (“FTE”), basis, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Management believes this measure provides information useful to investors in understanding our underlying business, operational performance and performance trends as it facilitates comparisons with the performance of other companies in the financial services industry. The Company believes the presentation of net interest income on an FTE basis ensures the comparability of net interest income arising from both taxable and tax-exempt sources and is consistent with industry practice. Net interest income per the Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) is reconciled to net interest income adjusted to an FTE basis in the Net Interest Income section of the "Results of Operations – Year ended December 31, 2021."
Although management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure enhances investors’ understanding of our business and performance, this non-GAAP financial measure should not be considered an alternative to GAAP or considered to be more relevant than financial results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor is it necessarily comparable with similar non-GAAP measures which may be presented by other companies.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - (continued)
Critical Accounting Estimates
The Company’s preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Over time, these estimates, assumptions and judgments may prove to be inaccurate or vary from actual results and may significantly affect our reported results and financial position for the periods presented or in future periods. We currently view the determination of the allowance for credit losses to be critical, because it is made in accordance with GAAP, is highly dependent on subjective or complex judgments, assumptions and estimates made by management and have had or is reasonably likely to have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations .
We have identified the following critical accounting estimates:
Allowance for Credit Losses (“ACL”)
The ACL represents an amount which, in management's judgment, is adequate to absorb expected credit losses on outstanding loans at the balance sheet date based on the evaluation of the size and current risk characteristics of the loan portfolio, past events, current conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions and prepayment experience. The ACL is measured and recorded upon the initial recognition of a financial asset. The ACL is reduced by charge-offs, net of recoveries of previous losses, and is increased or decreased by a provision for credit losses, which is recorded as a current period operating expense.
Determination of an appropriate ACL is inherently complex and requires the use of significant and highly subjective estimates. The reasonableness of the ACL is reviewed quarterly by management.
Management believes it uses relevant information available to make determinations about the ACL and that it has established the existing allowance in accordance with GAAP. However, the determination of the ACL requires significant judgment, and estimates of expected credit losses in the loan portfolio can vary from the amounts actually observed. While management uses available information to recognize expected credit losses, future additions to the ACL may be necessary based on changes in the loans comprising the portfolio, changes in the current and forecasted economic conditions, changes to the interest rate environment which may directly impact prepayment and curtailment rate assumptions, and changes in the financial condition of borrowers.
The ACL “base case” model is derived from various economic forecasts provided by widely recognized sources. Management evaluates the variability of market conditions by examining the peak and trough of economic cycles. These peaks and troughs are used to stress the base case model to develop a range of potential outcomes. Management then determines the appropriate reserve through an evaluation of these various outcomes relative to current economic conditions and known risks in the portfolio. For the year ended December 31, 2021 the range of outcomes would produce a 17% reduction or a 27% increase in reserves based on the best and worst case scenarios, respectively.
Refer to Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, for further detailed descriptions of our estimation process and methodology related to the ACL and Note 6, Allowance for Credit Losses, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our Business
Carter Bankshares, Inc. (the “Company”) is a bank holding company headquartered in Martinsville, Virginia with assets of $4.1 billion at December 31, 2021. The Company is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Carter Bank & Trust (the “Bank”). The Bank is an insured, Virginia state-chartered bank, which operates branches in Virginia and North Carolina. The Company provides a full range of financial services with retail, and commercial banking products and insurance. Per the 2020 Annual Report of the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions, our Company continues to be the fourth largest state-chartered bank by asset size at year end 2020. Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “CARE.”
The Company earns revenue primarily from interest on loans and securities and fees charged for financial services provided to our customers. The Company incurs expenses for the cost of deposits, provision for credit losses and other operating costs such as salaries and employee benefits, data processing, occupancy and tax expense.
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