Heritage Financial Announces Fourth Quarter and Annual 2025 Results

Fourth Quarter 2025 Highlights

• Net income was $22.2 million, or $0.65 per diluted share, compared to $19.2 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2025.
• Return on average assets increased to 1.27%, from 1.09% for the third quarter of 2025.
• Net interest income increased $1.0 million, or 1.7% (6.8% annualized), from the third quarter of 2025.
• Net interest margin increased to 3.72%, an increase of 8 basis points from 3.64% for the third quarter of 2025.
• Deposits increased $62.7 million, or 1.1% (4.2% annualized), from the third quarter of 2025.
• Cost of interest bearing deposits decreased to 1.83%, from 1.89% for the third quarter of 2025.
• Declared a regular cash dividend of $0.24 per share on January 16, 2026.
• Received regulatory and shareholder approvals to acquire Olympic Bancorp, Inc. ("Olympic"), which is expected to close on or about January 31, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

OLYMPIA, Wash., Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Heritage Financial Corporation (Nasdaq GS: HFWA) (the "Company", "we," or "us"), the parent company of Heritage Bank (the "Bank"), today reported net income of $22.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to $19.2 million for the third quarter of 2025 and $11.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. Diluted earnings per share were $0.65 for the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to $0.55 for the third quarter of 2025 and $0.34 for the fourth quarter of 2024. Adjusted diluted earnings per share⁽¹⁾ were $0.66 for the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to $0.56 for the third quarter of 2025 and $0.51 for the fourth quarter of 2024.

Bryan McDonald, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented, "We are very pleased with our operating results for the fourth quarter, which included stronger profitability, deposit growth, margin expansion and lower cost of deposits. The improvement in net interest margin provided an 8.6% increase in net interest income over fourth quarter 2024 levels.  This quarter showed the strength of our quality banking franchise with 29% growth in adjusted diluted earnings per share from the same period in the prior year. We remain focused on generating long-term financial results for our shareholders."

Mr. McDonald continued, "We are also pleased with the progress made in completing the pending acquisition of Olympic and its subsidiary, Kitsap Bank. Having received both regulatory and shareholder approvals, we look forward to closing the transaction at the end of January and bringing together our two organizations."

Financial Highlights

The following table provides financial highlights as of the dates and for the periods indicated:

Balance Sheet

Total investment securities decreased $31.2 million, or 2.4%, to $1.28 billion at December 31, 2025, from $1.31 billion at September 30, 2025. Investment maturities and repayments totaled $37.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2025. The decrease was partially offset by purchases of $3.5 million and a $2.9 million decrease in unrealized losses on available for sale securities.

The following table summarizes the composition of the Company's investment securities portfolio at the dates indicated:

Loans receivable increased $14.1 million, or 0.3%, during the fourth quarter of 2025 due to new loan production for the quarter offset partially by an elevated level of prepaid and closed loans. New loans funded during the fourth quarter of 2025 were $173.1 million, compared to $174.5 million during the third quarter of 2025. Loan prepayments increased to $77.2 million during the quarter, compared to $75.6 million during the prior quarter. Loan payoffs increased to $74.5 million, compared to $55.8 million in the prior quarter.

Commercial and industrial loans decreased $1.1 million, or 0.1%, during the fourth quarter of 2025, due primarily to pay downs on outstanding balances, partially offset by new loan production of $28.8 million. Owner-occupied commercial real estate ("CRE") loans increased $12.1 million, or 1.2%, during the fourth quarter of 2025, due primarily to new loan production of $40.0 million, partially offset by pay downs on outstanding balances. Non-owner occupied CRE loans increased $119.7 million, or 6.2%, during the quarter, due primarily to transfers from commercial and multifamily construction loans and new loan production of $76.5 million, partially offset by pay downs on outstanding balances. Residential real estate loans decreased by $16.0 million, or 4.3%, during the quarter, due to loan payoffs. Residential construction loans increased by $4.9 million, or 5.4%, during the quarter, due primarily to new loan production. Commercial and multifamily construction loans decreased $103.2 million, or 29.4%, during the quarter, due primarily to transfers to non-owner occupied CRE loans and paydowns on outstanding balances.

The following table summarizes the Company's loans receivable at the dates indicated:

Total deposits increased $62.7 million, or 1.1%, to $5.92 billion at December 31, 2025 from $5.86 billion at September 30, 2025. Non-maturity deposits increased by $75.1 million, or 1.5%, from September 30, 2025, due primarily to an increase in customer balances in interest bearing demand accounts. The increase in non-maturity deposits was partially offset by a decrease of $12.4 million in certificates of deposit accounts.

The following table summarizes the Company's total deposits at the dates indicated:

Total borrowings decreased $118.0 million to $20.0 million at December 31, 2025, from $138.0 million at September 30, 2025. All outstanding borrowings at December 31, 2025 were with the Federal Home Loan Bank ("FHLB") and mature within one year.

Total stockholders' equity increased $17.4 million, or 1.9%, to $921.5 million at December 31, 2025, compared to $904.1 million at September 30, 2025, due primarily to $22.2 million of net income recognized for the quarter and a $2.2 million decrease in accumulated other comprehensive loss. These increases were partially offset by $8.2 million in dividends paid to common shareholders during the quarter.

The Company and Bank continued to maintain capital levels in excess of the applicable regulatory requirements for them both to be categorized as "well-capitalized" at December 31, 2025.

The following table summarizes the capital ratios for the Company at the dates indicated:

Allowance for Credit Losses and Provision for Credit Losses

The allowance for credit losses ("ACL") on loans as a percentage of loans receivable was 1.10% at December 31, 2025 compared to 1.13% at September 30, 2025. The decrease in the ACL as a percentage of loans was due primarily to a change in the mix of loans due decreases in the real estate construction and land development segment which has a higher ACL as a percentage of loans, offset by an increase in other segments with a lower ACL as a percentage of loans. During the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company recorded a $0.9 million reversal of provision for credit losses on loans, compared to a $1.6 million provision during the third quarter of 2025.

During the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company recorded a $95,000 provision for credit losses on unfunded commitments compared to a $212,000 provision during the third quarter of 2025. The provision for credit losses on unfunded commitments during the fourth quarter of 2025 was due primarily to a decrease in utilization rates.

The following table provides detail on the changes in the ACL on loans and the ACL on unfunded commitments ("ACL on Unfunded"), and the related (reversal of) provision for credit losses for the periods indicated:

Credit Quality

Classified loans (loans rated substandard or worse) increased $22.4 million from the prior quarter, resulting in the percentage of classified loans to loans receivable increasing to 2.4% at December 31, 2025, compared to 2.0% at September 30, 2025.

The following table illustrates total loans by risk rating and their respective percentage of total loans at the dates indicated:

Nonaccrual loans increased by $3.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2025 due primarily to the migration of three non-owner occupied CRE loans totaling $3.9 million, offset partially by principal payments received. The following table illustrates changes in nonaccrual loans during the periods indicated:

Liquidity

Total liquidity sources available at December 31, 2025 were $2.62 billion. This included on- and off-balance sheet liquidity. The Company has access to FHLB advances and the Federal Reserve Bank ("FRB") Discount Window. The Company's available liquidity sources at December 31, 2025 represented a coverage ratio of 44.2% of total deposits and 107.7% of estimated uninsured deposits.

The following table summarizes the Company's available liquidity as of the dates indicated:

Net Interest Margin and Net Interest Income

Net interest margin increased 8 basis points to 3.72% during the fourth quarter of 2025, from 3.64% during the third quarter of 2025.

The yield on interest earning assets decreased one basis point to 5.03% for the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 5.04% for the third quarter of 2025. The yield on loans receivable increased one basis point to 5.54% during the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 5.53% during the third quarter of 2025 as new loans were booked and adjustable rate loans repriced at higher rates, partially offset by the impacts of the three fed funds rate cuts occurring during the last four months of the year.

The cost of interest bearing deposits decreased six basis points to 1.83% for the fourth quarter of 2025, from 1.89% for the third quarter of 2025. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in certificate of deposit rates.

Net interest income increased $1.0 million, or 1.7%, during the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the third quarter of 2025 due to a decrease in interest expense of $1.6 million, offset partially by a $0.6 million decrease in total interest income.

Net interest margin increased 36 basis points to 3.72% during the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 3.36% for the same period in the prior year. Net interest income increased $4.6 million, or 8.6%, during the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in the prior year. The increase was due primarily to a change in the mix of earning assets to higher yielding loan balances and a decrease in deposit and borrowing interest expense due to lower rates and lower borrowing balances.

The following table provides net interest income information for the periods indicated:

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income decreased $338,000 to $8.0 million during the fourth quarter of 2025 from $8.3 million during the third quarter of 2025. The decrease was due primarily to decreases in card revenue and a decrease in other income, offset partially by an increase in interest rate swap fees due to increased swap activity and an increase in bank owned life insurance ("BOLI") income due to the recognition of a death benefit.

Noninterest income increased $4.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2025 from the same period in 2024 due primarily to a $3.9 million loss recognized in the fourth quarter of 2024 resulting from the sale of investment securities as part of the strategic repositioning of the Company's balance sheet and an increase in BOLI income as the Company incurred $508,000 in costs related to the restructuring of the BOLI portfolio in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The following table presents the key components of noninterest income and the change for the periods indicated:

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense decreased $132,000, or 0.3%, to $41.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to $41.6 million in the third quarter of 2025. Compensation and employee benefits increased due to an increase in the accrual for incentive compensation. Professional fees decreased due primarily to lower merger related costs recognized in the fourth quarter of 2025 associated with the acquisition of Olympic.

Noninterest expense increased $1.9 million, or 4.9%, during the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 due primarily to an increase in compensation and employee benefits due to annual merit increases in base pay, an increase in benefit expense and incentive compensation expense accruals.

The following table presents the key components of noninterest expense and the change for the periods indicated:

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense increased $305,000 to $3.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to $3.1 million during the third quarter of 2025 due to an increase in pre-tax income.

Income tax expense and the effective income tax rate decreased in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to same period in 2024 due primarily to additional tax expense of $2.4 million related to BOLI restructuring during the fourth quarter of 2024, partially offset by increased income tax expense on higher pre-tax income during the fourth quarter of 2025. 

The following table presents the income tax expense and related metrics and the change for the periods indicated:

Dividends

On January 16, 2026, the Company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.24 per share. The dividend is payable on February 11, 2026 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 28, 2026.

Earnings Conference Call

The Company will hold a telephone conference call to discuss this earnings release on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time. To access the call, please dial (833) 470-1428 -- access code 927284 a few minutes prior to 10:00 a.m. Pacific time. The call will be available for replay through February 5, 2026 by dialing (866) 813-9403 -- access code 715393.

About Heritage Financial Corporation

Heritage Financial Corporation is an Olympia, Washington-based bank holding company with Heritage Bank, a full-service commercial bank, as its sole wholly-owned banking subsidiary. Heritage Bank has a network of 50 branches and one loan production office in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Heritage Bank does business under the Whidbey Island Bank name on Whidbey Island, Washington. The Company's stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "HFWA." More information about Heritage Financial Corporation can be found on its website at www.hf-wa.com and more information about Heritage Bank can be found on its website at www.heritagebanknw.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements often include words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "forecasts," "intends," "plans," "targets," "potentially," "probably," "projects," "outlook" or similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "may," "will," "should," "would," and "could," as well as the negative of such words. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent management's current expectations and forecasts regarding future events, many of which are inherently uncertain and outside of our control. Actual results may differ, possibly materially, from those currently expected or projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: potential adverse impacts to economic conditions nationally or in our local market areas, other markets where we have lending relationships, or other aspects of our business operations or financial markets, including, without limitation, as a result of credit quality deterioration, pronounced and sustained reductions in real estate market values, employment levels, labor shortages and a potential recession or slowed economic growth; changes in the interest rate environment, which could adversely affect our revenues and expenses, the value of assets and obligations, and the availability and cost of capital and liquidity; the level and impact of inflation and the current and future monetary policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in response thereto; legislative or regulatory changes that adversely affect our business, including changes in banking, securities, and tax law, in regulatory policies and principles, or the interpretation and prioritization of such rules and regulations; effects on the U.S. economy resulting from the threat or implementation of, or changes to existing, policies and executive orders, including tariffs, immigration policy, regulatory and other governmental agencies, DEI and ESG initiatives, consumer protection, foreign policy, and tax regulations;  credit and interest rate risks associated with our business, customers, borrowings, repayment, investment, and deposit practices; fluctuations in deposits and deposit concentrations; liquidity issues, including our ability to borrow funds or raise additional capital, if necessary; fluctuations in the value of our investment securities; credit risks and risks from concentrations (including by type of geographic area, collateral and industry) within our loan portfolio; disruptions, security breaches, insider fraud, cybersecurity incidents or other adverse events, failures or interruptions in, or attacks on, our information technology systems or on the third-party vendors who perform critical processing functions for our business, including sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools; technological changes implemented by us and other parties, including third-party vendors, which may be more difficult to implement or more expensive than anticipated or which may have unforeseen consequences to us and our customers, including the development and implementation of tools incorporating artificial intelligence; increased competition in the financial services industry from non-banks such as credit unions and financial technology companies, including digital asset service providers; our ability to adapt successfully to technological changes to compete effectively in the marketplace, including as a result of competition from other commercial banks, mortgage banking firms, credit unions, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, and financial technology companies; our ability to implement our organic and acquisition growth strategies, including the pending acquisition of Olympic, and our ability to successfully integrate Olympic's customers and operations following the acquisition; effects of critical accounting policies and judgments, including the use of estimates in determining fair value of certain of our assets, which estimates may prove to be incorrect and result in significant declines in valuation; the commencement, costs, effects and outcome of litigation and other legal proceedings and regulatory actions against us or to which we may become subject; potential impairment to the goodwill we recorded in connection with our past acquisitions, including the pending acquisition of Olympic; loss of, or inability to attract, key personnel; our ability to successfully integrate any assets, liabilities, customers, systems, and management personnel we may acquire, including as a result of the acquisition of Olympic, into our operations and our ability to realize related revenue synergies and cost savings within expected time frames or at all, and any goodwill charges related thereto and costs or difficulties relating to integration matters, including but not limited to customer and employee retention, which might be greater than expected; the effects of climate change, severe weather events, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics and other public health crises, acts of war or terrorism, foreign relations, and other external events on our business and the businesses of our clients; the impact of bank failures or adverse developments at other banks and related negative publicity about the banking industry in general on investor and depositor sentiment regarding the stability and liquidity of banks; our success at managing and responding to the risks involved in the foregoing items; and other factors described in our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") which are available on our website at www.hf-wa.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Moreover, any of the forward-looking statements that we make in this press release or the documents we file with or furnish to the SEC are based only on information then actually known to us and upon management's beliefs and assumptions at the time they are made which may turn out to be wrong because of inaccurate assumptions we might make, because of the factors described above or because of other factors that we cannot foresee. We do not undertake and specifically disclaim any obligation to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.