Hilltop Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
July 24, 2026

Key Takeaways

  • Positive Sentiment: Hilltop posted second-quarter net income of $36.5 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, with bank, broker-dealer, and capital return results supporting the quarter.
  • Positive Sentiment: PlainsCapital Bank delivered strong loan growth and margin expansion, with net interest margin rising to 3.42% and management raising full-year average loan growth guidance to 5%–7%.
  • Negative Sentiment: PrimeLending remained under pressure as the mortgage market stayed weak, producing a $2 million pre-tax loss amid high rates, affordability issues, and tight inventory.
  • Positive Sentiment: HilltopSecurities had a strong quarter, with pre-tax income up year over year and notable gains in structured finance, wealth management, and fixed income services.
  • Positive Sentiment: The company returned capital aggressively, including $47 million in share repurchases, a 10% dividend increase to $0.22 per share, and a new $75 million increase to the buyback authorization.
AI Generated. May Contain Errors.
Earnings Conference Call
Hilltop Q2 2026
00:00 / 00:00

There are 6 speakers on the call.

Operator

Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us, and welcome to Hilltop Holdings' second quarter 2026 earnings conference call. After today's prepared remarks, we will host a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one to raise your hand. To withdraw your question, press star one again. I will now hand the conference over to Matt Dunn, Corporate Development Officer and Head of Investor Relations. Matt, please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Thank you. Before we get started, please note that certain statements during today's presentation that are not statements of historical fact, including statements concerning such items as our outlook, business strategy, future plans, financial condition, credit risks and trends in credit, allowance for credit losses, liquidity and sources of funding costs, dividends, stock repurchases, subsequent events, and impacts of interest rate changes, as well as such other items referenced in the preface of our presentation are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations concerning future events that, by their nature, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual results, capital, liquidity, and financial condition may differ materially from these statements due to a variety of factors, including the precautionary statements referenced in the preface of our presentation and those included in our most recent annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC.

Speaker 1

Please note that certain information presented is preliminary and based upon data available at this time. Except to the extent required by law, we expressly disclaim any obligation to update earlier statements as a result of new information. Additionally, this presentation includes certain non-GAAP measures, including tangible common equity and tangible book value per share. A reconciliation of these measures to the nearest GAAP measure may be found in the appendix to this presentation, which is posted on our website at ir.hilltop.com. I'll now be turning the presentation over to Jeremy Ford.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Matt. Good morning. For the second quarter, Hilltop reported net income of $36.5 million, or $0.63 per diluted share. Return on average assets for the period was 1%, and return on average equity was 6.9%. To summarize the lines of business, PlainsCapital Bank produced continued strong loan growth and further expansion in net interest margin while delivering $51 million in pre-tax income. PrimeLending reported a pre-tax loss of $2 million as the mortgage market faced a muted start to the summer buying season. HilltopSecurities delivered a $6 million year-over-year increase in pre-tax income, primarily due to strong quarters within wealth management and structured finance. At PlainsCapital Bank, a robust loan pipeline and pull-through rate paired with the continued expansion of net interest margin to 3.42% helped to produce a 1.3% return on average assets during the second quarter.

Speaker 2

Favorable results at the bank were supported by a modest decline in the cost of total deposits and an efficiency ratio of 55%, which is in line with both the first quarter of 2026 and the second quarter of 2025. Deposit balances at the bank remained relatively stable on a quarter-over-quarter basis, and core deposit balances, which excludes the sweep deposits from HilltopSecurities, increased on a year-over-year basis. A portion of our core customers base at PlainsCapital typically experience seasonal declines in deposit balances during the second quarter of a year, and we expect those deposits to return during the second half of the year. Results in the quarter included a $1 million provision release. This was largely driven by an improvement in economic conditions, as well as a decline in non-performing assets. Will is going to provide further commentary on credit in his prepared remarks.

Speaker 2

While competition in core markets continues to increase from both in-state and out-of-state peers, we believe that PlainsCapital Bank is well positioned to deliver strong organic growth. From a recruiting perspective, we remain active, engaged across our markets to source and sign talented bankers who embody our commitment to relationship-based community banking. We believe the Texas economy will continue to provide a healthy backdrop for our banking operations, and we plan to invest further in the bank's already strong momentum. Moving to PrimeLending, where the company reported a pre-tax loss of $2 million during the second quarter. An elevated interest rate environment when compared to the first quarter of 2026, alongside the prolonged headwinds of higher property taxes, higher insurance costs, and tight inventory levels, continued to weigh on overall industry volumes and gain on sale margins.

Speaker 2

Further evidence of the challenging mortgage market is highlighted by a new all-time low share of homes being sold to first-time homebuyers. While we continue to fight for mortgage volumes amid an ultra-competitive environment, PrimeLending has been able to successfully lower its fixed costs, which are down approximately $10 million annualized when compared to the second quarter of 2025. Until long-term rates show signs of decline and therefore drive higher industry volumes, we anticipate the market will remain highly contested. We remain focused on achieving internal goals around productivity and operational results for the second half of the year. During the quarter, HilltopSecurities generated pre-tax income of $12 million on net revenue of $124 million for a pre-tax margin of 10%. Speaking to the lines of business at HilltopSecurities.

Speaker 2

Public finance services continued to produce healthy top-line results, delivering $30 million of net revenue, which is a modest decrease versus the second quarter of 2025. Industry issuance volumes were strong during the quarter, and we expect issuances to remain elevated for the second half of the year. Structured finance realized a 73% increase in net revenue compared to the second quarter of 2025, as buy-side demand for call-protected collateral remained robust throughout the quarter. Wealth management showed continued improvement on a year-over-year basis through an increase in revenue generated by advisory and transaction fees within the retail portion of the business. Finally, fixed income services delivered a 10% increase in net revenue compared to the second quarter of 2025, as both municipal and taxable products saw an increase in sales and trading revenue.

Speaker 2

Overall, HilltopSecurities produced an increase in net revenue of 13% and expanded pre-tax margin when compared to the second quarter of 2025. The firm has delivered a strong second quarter and first half of the year and remains focused on building deep and meaningful client connectivity across its core competencies. Moving to page four. Hilltop maintains strong capital levels with a Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 18.3%. Additionally, our tangible book value per share increased to $32.36. During the period, we returned $11.6 million to stockholders through dividends and repurchased $47 million in shares. Notably, Hilltop's board declared a 10% increase to the quarterly cash dividend to $0.22 per share and authorized a $75 million increase to the stock repurchase program. Thank you. I'll now turn the presentation over to Will to discuss our financials in more detail.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Jeremy. I'll start on page five. As Jeremy noted, for the second quarter of 2026, Hilltop reported consolidated income attributable to common stockholders of $36.5 million, equating to $0.63 per diluted share. Quarter's results included a 5% year-over-year increase in net interest income, a 4% year-over-year increase in non-interest income, and a modest increase in non-interest expenses, which was largely driven by variable compensation. Please note that the prior year period did include a $9.5 million legal recovery recorded in non-interest income. Hilltop recorded a net reversal in the provision for credit losses of $1 million during the quarter, which I'll review in more detail as I move to page six. Hilltop's allowance for credit losses declined during the quarter by $4 million to $85 million.

Speaker 3

As is noted in the graph, Hilltop recorded net charge-offs of approximately $3.2 million, an increase to specific reserves by $1.9 million, largely related to the deterioration of one loan in the portfolio. Modest improvements in the macroeconomic outlook, adjustments to qualitative factors, and the quarterly scoring activity in the portfolio resulted in a net reduction to the ACL of $2.9 million. It remains of note that we continue to believe that the ACL could be volatile as it is impacted by changes in the mix and makeup of the credit portfolio, net loan growth, credit migration trends, and changes to the macroeconomic outlook over time. I'm turning to page seven. Net interest income in the second quarter equated to $116 million, including $800,000 of purchase accounting accretion.

Speaker 3

Versus the prior year second quarter, net interest income increased by $5 million or 5%, driven primarily by lower interest-bearing deposit costs, coupled with the balance sheet composition shifting from cash into loans held for investment. During the second quarter, net interest margin increased versus the first quarter of 2026 by eight basis points to 321 basis points. The improvement in NIM was largely driven by the same items delivering higher net interest income, including lower deposit yields, improved balance sheet composition, and the modest increase in net borrowings versus the prior year period. In our current macroeconomic outlook, the scenario includes one rate increase to occur in December of 2026.

Speaker 3

Based on this rate scenario, we expect that NIM will moderate at current levels, potentially declining modestly during the second half of the year, and that net interest income will remain relatively stable at these levels over the coming quarters. Turning to page eight. Second quarter average total deposits are approximately $10.4 billion, which reflects a decline of $263 million versus the second quarter of 2025. During the quarter, total deposits were stable versus the first quarter of 2026 levels at $10.5 billion on an ending balance basis, including an increase of $300 million of HilltopSecurities sweep deposits being moved into the bank. Excluding the impact of the sweep movement in the period, the decline in other customer deposits reflects normal seasonal flows related to tax payments, scheduled distributions from certain of our public fund depositors, and business flows and distributions from some large C&I clients.

Speaker 3

We do expect the customer deposits will begin growing again during the second half of the year. As a result of our ongoing pricing efforts, interest-bearing deposit costs declined from the first quarter levels to 237 basis points. During this down rate cycle, PlainsCapital has been able to achieve a 75% interest-bearing deposit beta. As we've noted in the past, we expect that our beta levels could decline even with no further rate actions as deposit competition in our markets has substantially increased. We believe that this could result in higher offer rates and a higher level of exception pricing activity. With competitive intensity increasing, we will continue to balance the support of our long-term customer relationships with prudently managing net interest income over time. Moving to page nine. Total non-interest income for the second quarter of 2026 equated to $200 million.

Speaker 3

Versus the same period in the prior year, mortgage revenues declined by $1.8 million, driven primarily by lower valuation marks on the rate lock pipeline. Second quarter origination volumes were consistent with the prior year period levels, while mortgage gain on sale margins for loans sold to third parties declined versus the prior year period to 217 basis points, a decline of six basis points. It remains important to note the ongoing challenges in mortgage banking continue as a combination of the current level of mortgage rates and home affordability concerns have combined to create an environment that remains restrictive and continues to push back a recovery in margins and production volumes across the industry. Growth in principal transactions, commissions, and fees at the broker-dealer were driven by structured finance, which experienced $170 million increase in locked activity and improved marks on the mortgage lock pipeline.

Speaker 3

In addition, wealth management has produced solid growth in fees resulting from growth in client wealth assets and productivity enhancements across the brokerage chain. The decline in other non-interest income largely relates to the prior year legal recovery reported at PrimeLending of $9.5 million. As we've noted in the past, revenues from structured finance and fixed income capital markets at the broker-dealer can be volatile from period to period as they're impacted by market volatility, interest rates, market liquidity, and production volumes. I'm turning to page 10. Non-interest expenses increased from the same period in the prior year by $5.5 million, or 2% to $267 million. The increase in expenses versus the prior year second quarter was driven by increases in variable compensation, largely at HilltopSecurities, and reflect the impact of higher revenue in structured finance and wealth management.

Speaker 3

Looking forward, we expect that expenses, other than variable compensation, will remain relatively stable at current levels as we remain diligently focused on prudent growth of revenue producers while continuing to improve productivity across our middle and back office functions. I'm turning to page 11. Second quarter average HFI loans equated to $8.5 billion. On a period ending basis, HFI loans grew versus the first quarter of 2026 by $239 million, driven by $114 million of growth in CRE lending, $54 million of growth in C&I lending, $45 million of growth in loans from our broker-dealer, and $28 million of seasonal growth in the mortgage warehouse lending business. Related to our lending activity, we're pleased with our commercial lending pipelines, which have remained stable throughout the year, and we expect the pipeline will provide support for continued growth for the balance of 2026.

Speaker 3

We are increasing our full year expected average loan growth rate to a range of 5%-7% for 2026. Note this outlook excludes any impacts related to mortgage warehouse lending and any mortgages retained from PrimeLending. Moving to page 12. As is shown in the chart on the upper left of the page, classified and special mention loans increased during the second quarter, largely driven by a large single-family credit that deteriorated during the quarter. Overall, we believe credit quality remains sound, and the bank team is monitoring the portfolio closely for any signs of deterioration and will continue to move swiftly to protect its exposure for any loans that experience challenges. As is shown in the upper right chart, NPA levels have declined consistently over the last 12 months as we continue to see steady improvement and solid workout in this portfolio.

Speaker 3

Net charge-offs for the second quarter of 2026 equated to $3.2 million, or 16 basis points of average loans. Lastly, as presented on the graph in the bottom right of the page, the allowance for credit losses coverage at the bank ended the second quarter at 103 basis points, including mortgage warehouse lending. The declines in allowance over the last year can largely be attributed to the adoption of the baseline scenario for Moody's during the second quarter of 2025 and the ongoing workout of the auto note portfolio that we've addressed in previous quarters. Moving to page 13. We move into the third quarter of 2026, there continues to be a lot of uncertainty in the market regarding interest rates, the impact of ongoing inflation, as well as the resilience of the overall economy.

Speaker 3

In the face of these uncertainties, we're pleased with the work that our teams are doing each day to support our customers and the communities we serve. We believe that this work is helping us build momentum in the bank and broker-dealer businesses and supporting our focus on returning our mortgage business to profitability. As is noted in the table, our current outlook for 2026 reflects our current assessment of the economy and the markets where we participate. As the market changes and we adjust our business to respond, we will provide updates to our outlook on future quarterly calls. Operator, that concludes our prepared comments, and we'll turn the call back to you for the Q&A section of the call.

Operator

We will now begin the question and answer session. Please limit yourself to one question and one follow-up. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one to raise your hand. To withdraw your question, please press star one again. We ask that you pick up your handset when asking a question to allow for optimum sound quality. If you are muted locally, please remember to unmute your device. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster. Our first question comes from the line of Matt Olney with Stephens. Matt, your line is now open.

Speaker 4

Thanks. Good morning. I want to ask more about loan growth. Saw some really good growth in the second quarter, and it sounds like you expect more growth in the back half of the year. I guess I'm curious what you're seeing on the loan yields. It looked like it was pretty flat this quarter, but do you have any color on the new production yields? Any pressure there, and any more benefits you expect from the back book repricing? Thanks.

Speaker 3

Thanks, Matt. We have seen solid growth through the first half of the year, which we're excited about. The bank teams are working diligently every day to serve customers. Again, as I noted in my comments, the pipeline has remained stable, and we feel like that supports growth in the back half. As it relates to going on yields, to your point, certainly we're seeing competition's intense across our footprint and across the markets we serve. We're seeing going on yields in the 6.5%-7% range, depending on the asset class and the deal in particular. In terms of repricing, we are seeing some repricing activity, but that's largely occurred certainly as it relates to repricing up as rates moved up over the last couple of years.

Speaker 3

We believe that to be pretty modest impact, but again, we're pleased with our closing activity, pleased with the rates and going on position there. We'll continue to push forward with the market being pretty competitive as we sit here today.

Speaker 4

Okay. Appreciate that, Will, thank you. Then I guess on the other side, the deposit side, obviously some softness this quarter. I think that loan deposit ratio is at the higher end of what we've seen more recently. Just remind me of what your internal range preferences and the upper end of that. Curious if we're going to see that continue to move higher. Thanks.

Speaker 3

You have seen it tick higher. We had historically, and over the last couple of years since the COVID era, if you will, maintained a higher than average cash level. We've seen our cash levels, which are driven by excess deposits, track lower. We're at a level now that I think is more consistent with normal operating from a cash perspective. So what that yields is, again, that loan deposit ratio has moved higher as you've seen deposits be relatively stable as well as loans growing. So our view is 80%-90%, probably closer to 85%, is a more normalized, I'd say, loan deposit level for the organization over time. Objectively, we're focused on growing core deposits across the portfolio and across the footprint. Then also, as we noted just momentarily ago, growing loans.

Speaker 4

Okay, guys. Thanks for the color. I'll step back.

Speaker 3

All right. Thank you.

Operator

Our next question comes from the line of Evan Yee with Raymond James. Evan, your line is now open.

Speaker 5

Hey. Good morning, guys. Thank you for taking my question. Just wanted to start on broker dealer. Could you provide a little bit more color on the puts and takes with your broker dealer outlook, just given the change in the rate outlook? Thank you.

Speaker 2

As far as the outlook's concerned? Go ahead, sir.

Speaker 3

Yeah. Our broker dealer fee guide here is negative 3% to 1%. As it relates to rates, I think as you think about the broker dealer, there's a few things that are impacted. Obviously, sweep fees across our wealth management business are impacted. We've talked historically that our public finance business, as rates would move higher, obviously the appetite for debt issuance and otherwise could be pressured. Then in fixed income services, it benefits largely from an upward-sloping yield curve. If that were to flatten out, obviously those impacts could be negative to net revenue across the period. As we look out and from a guidance perspective, we think the curve's going to remain upward sloping. As we noted, our guidance all considers one rate increase in the December period.

Speaker 3

From our perspective, we're constructive on public finance as well as fixed income wealth management and structured finance. We're pretty constructive on those businesses. Public finance did have a record year last year as issuance

Speaker 3

in the marketplace was substantial. We'll continue to monitor it. We had a solid year from a baseline perspective, and our teams continue to execute. We recognize the volatility in the marketplace, whether it be rates, whether it be inflation, whether it be the macroeconomic backdrop or geopolitical matters, have continued to pressure all facets of our business. Our guidance reflects that as well.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I'll just add a little bit more color. We are seeing national issuance and municipal volumes be very strong. We've had it through the first half of the year, and we continue to expect that in the second half of the year. I think the public finance business will continue to chug along. Our wealth management business has really shown a lot of improvement over the last several years, and we see a lot of good momentum there, particularly in our retail segment of that. I echo Will's sentiment that we feel pretty good about the results from 2025 and the momentum that is being carried into 2026.

Speaker 5

Okay, great. I guess just another question from me. I appreciate the $47 million of repurchases in the second quarter and the increase in the program. How should we think about the cadence of repurchases from here? I guess more broadly, where does it fall in the priority stack of capital deployment uses? Thank you.

Speaker 2

I guess from my standpoint, we're really happy about what we just put out with our strong results and our financial position and our outlook. I think that that shows in us increasing our authorization by $75 million from the already approved 125. That brings us to $200 million of total authorization for 2026. As well, I know you saw that we increased our dividend by 10% to $0.22 a share per quarter. I think that just reflects our confidence in the company. As far as the capital stack's concerned, if you see our capital ratios are heading down. Our Common Equity Tier 1 ratio is 18.3%, and we think that's a good direction in that we're seeing part of that come from growth in our loan portfolio and also in our capital deployment.

Speaker 2

I think we'll continue to prioritize organic growth first, capital returns second, and we'll be mindful of how accretive that is to the shareholder. Also we have ample resources to be able to do M&A.

Speaker 5

Okay, great. Thank you. I will step back.

Operator

We have reached the end of the Q&A session. This concludes today's call. Thank you for attending. You may now disconnect.

Powered by Quartr