What happened
Regional bank NBT Bancorp (NBTB -0.21%) probably couldn't wait for this weekend. The company's share price eroded by more than 11% over the course of the week, following the release of its latest set of quarterly results. All told over the five trading days, NBT stock lost 11% of its value, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
So what
For its fourth quarter of 2022, NBT's total revenue (for banks, consisting of net interest income combined with noninterest income) was a shade under $133.9 million. This was nearly 9% higher on a year-over-year basis, and it slightly exceeded the average analyst estimate of $133.6 million.
NBT's net profit fell marginally, slipping to $36.1 million, or $0.84 per share, from fourth quarter 2021's $37.3 million. Prognosticators following the stock were collectively modeling $0.93.
As for other key financial line items, the company's net loans tallied $8.05 billion, which was up from the $7.81 billion of the year-ago period. Total deposits went in the opposite direction, dipping to just under $9.50 billion from the preceding $9.92 billion.
Like other banks over the course of 2022, NBT benefited from higher interest rates necessitated by the Federal Reserve's aggressive stance against inflation. This boosted net interest income, which in turn lifted revenue.
Now what
While investors weren't heartened about NBT's trailing results -- or, likely, about its immediate future in the face of expected Fed interest rate hike slowdowns -- this was partially soothed by a dividend declaration. The bank is maintaining its dividend policy, as it declared a quarterly payout of $0.30 per share that is payable on March 15 to stockholders of record as of March 1.
This matches NBT's three previous disbursements, and it yields nearly 3.2%. This is relatively generous for the banking sector.
