Kearny Financial Corp. Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results and Declaration of Cash Dividend

FAIRFIELD, N.J., April 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kearny Financial Corp. (NASDAQ GS: KRNY) (the “Company”), the holding company of Kearny Bank (the “Bank”), reported net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 of $10.1 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, compared to $9.4 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2025.

The Company also announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.11 per share, payable on May 20, 2026, to stockholders of record as of May 6, 2026.

Craig L. Montanaro, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are pleased to report continued momentum in our core earnings this quarter, highlighted by our sixth consecutive quarter of net interest margin expansion. Quarter-over-quarter, net interest margin increased seven basis points as net interest income grew 3%. These results reflect the ongoing favorable repricing and remixing of our loan portfolio which, along with improving funding dynamics, positions us well for continued earnings momentum in the periods ahead.”

Mr. Montanaro continued, “During the quarter, we made strategic investments to strengthen our deposit franchise. We expanded our Corporate Banking team with the addition of four high-powered deposit-focused relationship officers who will accelerate our growth in relationship‑based middle-market commercial deposits. In parallel, we formed a new Specialty Deposits team specifically focused on select high-value deposit verticals in order to further diversify our funding sources.”

Mr. Montanaro concluded, “Our partnership with The Lab Consulting, a management consulting firm engaged to support process improvement and operational efficiency initiatives, is now well underway, and we are encouraged by the early momentum of this initiative. The opportunities identified to streamline processes, enhance automation, and improve the client experience support our commitment to operational excellence and scalable growth. Collectively, these actions position us well to continue delivering sustainable earnings improvement and long‑term shareholder value.”

Third Quarter Highlights

• Pre-tax, pre-provision net revenue increased 5.5% to $13.0 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, reflecting ongoing strengthening of core earnings.
• Net interest margin expanded by seven basis points to 2.21%, extending the momentum of margin improvement for the sixth consecutive quarter.
• Continued advancing the loan portfolio diversification strategy by growing commercial business, construction, and home equity loans by 18.5%, 14.3% and 4.0%, respectively, while strategically reducing multifamily mortgage exposure.
• Tangible book value per share improved $0.09, or 0.9%, to $10.02.
  
  

Balance Sheet

• Total assets were $7.61 billion at March 31, 2026, a decrease of $13.2 million, or 0.2%, from December 31, 2025.
• Investment securities totaled $1.09 billion at March 31, 2026, a decrease of $19.3 million, or 1.7%, from December 31, 2025.
• Loans receivable totaled $5.78 billion at March 31, 2026, an increase of $25.8 million, or 0.4%, from December 31, 2025, primarily reflecting increases in commercial and industrial (“C&I”) and construction loans, partially offset by a decrease in multifamily mortgage loans, which reflects our ongoing strategic remix of the portfolio.
• Deposits were $5.73 billion at March 31, 2026, an increase of $17.5 million, or 0.3%, from December 31, 2025.
• Borrowings were $1.06 billion at March 31, 2026, a decrease of $35.0 million, or 3.2%, from December 31, 2025, reflecting reductions in overnight borrowings, partially offset by an increase in Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) advances.
• At March 31, 2026, the Company maintained available secured borrowing capacity with the FHLB and the Federal Reserve Discount Window of $2.45 billion, representing 32.2% of total assets.
  
  

Earnings

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

• Net interest margin expanded by seven basis points to 2.21% for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. The increase for the quarter was primarily driven by lower costs and average balances on interest-bearing liabilities, partially offset by lower average yields on interest-earning assets.
• For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, net interest income increased $1.3 million to $39.2 million from $38.0 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Included in net interest income for the quarters ended March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively, was purchase accounting accretion of $552,000 and $494,000, and loan prepayment penalty income of $422,000 and $544,000.
  
  

Non-Interest Income

• For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, non-interest income increased $523,000, or 9.4%, to $6.1 million from $5.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, primarily driven by a non-recurring pre-tax gain of $1.0 million on the sale of properties held for sale in the current period.
• Fees and service charges decreased $373,000, or 28.8%, to $922,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 from $1.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. The decrease was primarily driven by the absence of $245,000 in loan related fee income associated with the payoff of a single construction loan recorded in the prior period.
• Electronic banking fees and charges decreased $84,000, or 17.8%, to $389,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 from $473,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, primarily driven by lower income from interchange fees.
  
  

Non-Interest Expense

• For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, non-interest expense increased $1.1 million, or 3.6%, to $32.3 million from $31.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, primarily driven by increases in salary and benefits, net occupancy, and advertising, partially offset by decreases in other expense.
• Salary and benefits expense increased $943,000 to $19.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 from $18.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, primarily driven by an increase in payroll taxes and employee benefits associated with the start of a new calendar year and a non-recurring severance charge of $205,000 recorded in the current period.
• Net occupancy expense of premises increased $375,000 to $3.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 from $2.9 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, driven by seasonally higher snow removal expenses of $527,000 recorded in the current period.
• Advertising and marketing expense increased $253,000 to $665,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 from $412,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, primarily driven by higher advertising expenses across various formats.
• Other expense decreased $377,000 to $3.5 million for the quarter March 31, 2026 from $3.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, primarily driven by the absence of non-recurring professional fees incurred in the prior period associated with the Company’s partnership with The Lab Consulting and a decline in fraud losses in the current period. Changes in the other components of non-interest expense between comparative periods reflected normal operating fluctuations within those line items.
  
  

Income Taxes

• Income tax expense totaled $2.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 compared to $2.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, resulting in an effective tax rate of 19.8% in each respective period.
  
  

Asset Quality

• The balance of non-performing assets increased $1.1 million to $52.4 million, or 0.69% of total assets, at March 31, 2026 from $51.3 million, or 0.67% of total assets, at December 31, 2025.
• Net charge-offs totaled $626,000, or 0.04% of average loans, on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, compared to $669,000, or 0.05% of average loans, on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended December 31, 2025.
• For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, the Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $391,000, compared to $567,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. The provision for credit loss expense for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 was primarily due to loan growth and charge-offs associated with certain individually evaluated loans, partially offset by quantitative risk factor adjustments.
• Allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) was $44.7 million, or 0.77% of total loans, at March 31, 2026, a decrease of $235,000 from $45.0 million, or 0.78% of total loans, at December 31, 2025. The decrease in the ACL from December 31, 2025 was primarily driven by loan charge-offs, partially offset by a provision for credit losses, as noted above.
  
  

Capital

• For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, book value per share increased $0.09, or 0.8%, to $11.79 while tangible book value per share increased $0.09, or 0.9%, to $10.02.
• At March 31, 2026, total stockholders’ equity included after-tax net unrealized losses on securities available for sale of $68.7 million, partially offset by after-tax unrealized gains on derivatives of $2.7 million. After-tax net unrecognized losses on securities held to maturity of $8.2 million were not reflected in total stockholders’ equity.
• At March 31, 2026, the Company’s tangible equity to tangible assets ratio equaled 8.65%. Additionally, the regulatory capital ratios of both the Company and the Bank continued to be in excess of all applicable regulatory requirements as of March 31, 2026.
  
  

This earnings release should be read in conjunction with Kearny Financial Corp.’s Q3 2026 Investor Presentation, a copy of which is available through the Investor Relations link located at the bottom of the page of our website at www.kearnybank.com and via a Current Report on Form 8-K on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, factors discussed in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. The Company does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company.

Category: Earnings

The following tables provide a reconciliation of certain financial measures calculated in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) (as reported) and non-GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures provide additional information which allow readers to evaluate the ongoing performance of the Company. They are not a substitute for GAAP measures; they should be read and used in conjunction with the Company’s GAAP financial information. In all cases, it should be understood that non-GAAP per share measures do not depict amounts that accrue directly to the benefit of shareholders.

For further information contact:
Keith Suchodolski, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, or
Sean Byrnes, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Kearny Financial Corp.
(973) 244-4500