Can These Factors Give You An Edge In Emclaire Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:EMCF)?

As a small-cap bank stock with a market capitalisation of US$82m, Emclaire Financial Corp.’s (NASDAQ:EMCF) risk and profitability are largely determined by the underlying economic growth of the US regions in which it operates. Given that banks operate by reinvesting deposits in the form of loans, negative economic growth may lower the level of saving deposits and demand for loans, directly affecting those banks’ levels of cash flows. Post-GFC recovery brought about a new set of reforms, Basel III, which was created to improve regulation, supervision and risk management in the financial services industry. These reforms target bank level regulation and aims to improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb shocks arising from economic stress which could expose financial institutions to vulnerabilities. Its financial position may weaken in an adverse macro event such as political instability which is why it is crucial to understand how well the bank manages its risks. Sufficient liquidity and low levels of leverage could place the bank in a safe place in case of unexpected macro headwinds. Today we will be measuring Emclaire Financial’s financial risk position by looking at three leverage and liquidity metrics.

Check out our latest analysis for Emclaire Financial

Is EMCF's Leverage Level Appropriate?

A low level of leverage subjects a bank to less risk and enhances its ability to pay back its debtors. Leverage can be thought of as the amount of assets a bank owns relative to its shareholders’ funds. Though banks are required to have a certain level of buffer to meet its capital requirements, Emclaire Financial’s leverage level of less than the suitable maximum level of 20x, at 11.25x, is considered to be very cautious and prudent. This means the bank exhibits very strong leverage management and is well-positioned to repay its debtors in the case of any adverse events since it has an appropriately high level of equity relative to the debt it has taken on to remain in business. If the bank needs to firm up its capital cushion, it has ample headroom to increase its debt level without deteriorating its financial position.

What Is EMCF's Level of Liquidity?

Due to its illiquid nature, loans are an important asset class we should learn more about. Normally, they should not exceed 70% of total assets, however its current level of 79% means the bank has lent out 8.85% above the sensible threshold. This indicates that revenue is dependent on this particular asset but also the bank is more exposed to default compared to banks with less loans.

What is EMCF's Liquidity Discrepancy?

A way banks make money is by lending out its deposits as loans. These loans may be fixed term and often cannot be readily realized, however, customer deposits are liabilities which must be repaid on-demand and in short notice. The discrepancy between loan assets and deposit liabilities threatens the bank’s financial position. If an adverse event occurs, it may not be well-placed to repay its depositors immediately. Relative to the prudent industry loan to deposit level of 90%, Emclaire Financial’s ratio of over 93% is higher, which puts the bank in a risky position as it borders negative liquidity disparity between loan and deposit levels. Basically, for $1 of deposits with the bank, it lends out over $0.9 which is imprudent.

Next Steps:

Keep in mind that a stock investment requires research on more than just its operational side. There are three pertinent aspects you should further examine:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for EMCF’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for EMCF’s outlook.
2. Valuation: What is EMCF worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether EMCF is currently mispriced by the market.
3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.