Good morning everyone. Hope everyone had a great Presidents Day and took some needed time off from market news.

For newcomers, every week I write about off the beaten path investing ideas. I like to invest in bombed out industries. Stocks no one else is talking about. And companies Wall Street hedge funds can’t touch. My favorite stocks are the ones trading at multi-decade lows with one last puff.

Today I am continuing to write about community banks. A sub-sector of financial industry that are so tiny and obscure that many investors don’t even know they exist. But before we get into community banks, first a word from today’s one of my favorite newsletters…

This One Move Will Make You A Financial God

Most financial media businesses are built with one singular goal — convert financial insecurity and fear into clicks.

And the headlines do just that — “9%+ inflation is eating away at your savings,” “Soaring interest rates have wiped $4 trillion from equity markets.”

None of it designed to make you a smarter investor or sharper business person. Fortunately, we have The Daily Upside. This free newsletter is a veritable goldmine of deep insights, unbiased reporting, and is packed with color.

Founded by a team of wall street insiders, bankers, and scholars, The Daily Upside delivers industry-level analysis with absolutely zero BS.

Join 900,000 subscribers — including the team at Alpha Letter— who trust The Daily Upside every day. We couldn’t recommend it enough.

Community Banks

It’s a tough market for value investors. Valuations are back to lofty levels. The beaten down and broken businesses had a killer first two months of 2023. Anything that was trading at a low valuation saw its share price increase dramatically in January. February has been a mixed bag, but valuations have continued to hold strong.

From my vantage point there isn’t many industries that looks extremely compelling. The only one that appears to be optically trading at a low earnings multiple is the energy industry. But I am a bit cautious here as you typically want to buy cyclical stocks like energy when trailing earning multiples are high and not low. I am still very long energy, but I am also well aware the dangers of a cycle turning again.

No matter the valuations, there is always something to do as a value investor. In times like this you just have to look harder for investment opportunities. Search in different places few frequently travel too. Go off the beaten path and turn over a rock that hasn’t been touched for ages.

A place where few frequently travel is the land of community banks. I’m not talking about small regional banks that control the deposit base of an entire state. I am talking about 5-10 branch banks that no one knows exists unless you live in that small little town where that bank operates.

The community banks I have been digging into are sub-$100 million market cap companies. Most under $50 million market cap. And even some under $25 million market caps. Nano-cap financial companies that have operated their franchise for decades. Predictable returns, strong deposit bases and boring little business models.

Community banks are obscure. They are incredibly illiquid. There is almost zero research on 90% of them. And the stock prices of these small community banks have started to fall.

There are a few of reasons for the valuation drop in banks. Two have to do with rising interest rates. The other one is a broad concern over a recession and future downturn that could impact borrowers and increase the rate of nonperforming loans. I think the biggest reason why bank stocks have begun to fall is from rising interest rates impacting other comprehensive income.

For those who don’t read financial statements for a living, other comprehensive income falls below the net income line. Changes in other comprehensive income doesn’t impact GAAP EPS. Other comprehensive income is a catch-all classification for the items that cannot be included in typical profit and loss calculations because they do not stem from the company's regular business activities and operations.

For community banks, changes in other comprehensive income come from the banks security portfolio, typically consisting of bonds, which have fallen in price due to rising interest rates. Hence, as interest rates increase, bond prices decrease, resulting in a large non-cash loss calculated in other comprehensive income.

So, when bond prices fall, banks take non-cash losses in other comprehensive income, which then impacts shareholders equity, a key valuation metric investors use to value banks. As bond prices fall, shareholders equity decreases, resulting in a lower stock price. Since 2022, almost every community bank is posting a large loss in other comprehensive income as their bond portfolio decreases in value.

The second way rising interest rates are impacting bank valuations is due to deposits becoming more expensive. When interest rates increase banks are forced to raise the interest rate for their depositors to stay competitive in the market. For the first time in decades, individuals can get a 4.0-4.5% risk free rate. Community banks that don’t have the resources to raise rates as fast as larger competitors are seeing their deposit base decrease as their customer moves money to a bank that can offer a better rate.

This is a double edged sword. Bond portfolios are decreasing in value, directly impacting shareholders equity and the deposit market is competitive for the first time in decades. Finally, investors are also worried about a potential recession, which would likely increase nonperforming loans, leading to a whole host of issues. Given these three macro related issues, community banks have seen their stock prices fall.

If you have been reading this newsletter for a while, you probably know I am a sucker for stocks that no one else wants to own. The more illiquid the better. The smaller the company the better informed I can be than anyone else on the name. Community banks fit this bill. They are extremely small. They are very illiquid. And we are starting to see valuations come down.

Over the next few weeks expect more valuation analysis on these small obscure banks. I’ve already written up one (which I have personally been buying) and have written a primer on thrift stocks, an area I am going to focus on within the community bank sector.

The community banking space fascinates me and I think I can get a real competitive advantage in the industry, generating strong returns. If my hypothesis on the community banking sector proves to be successful, I may toy with the idea of launching a fund or special purpose vehicle (SPV) specifically for the community banking industry. I think there is a lot of value out there in these small banks and I think an activist investor focused on capital allocation could do extremely well for their investors.

Disclaimer: The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page.  All statements and expressions herein are the sole opinion of the author or paid advertiser.

Alpha Letter is a publisher of financial information, not an investment advisor.  We do not provide personalized or individualized investment advice or information that is tailored to the needs of any particular recipient.  

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THIS WEBSITE IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS INVESTMENT ADVICE, AND DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE AND DOES NOT EXPRESS ANY OPINION AS TO THE PRICE AT WHICH THE SECURITIES OF ANY COMPANY MAY TRADE AT ANY TIME.  THE INFORMATION AND OPINIONS PROVIDED HEREIN SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS SPECIFIC ADVICE ON THE MERITS OF ANY INVESTMENT DECISION.  INVESTORS SHOULD MAKE THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION AND DECISIONS REGARDING THE PROSPECTS OF ANY COMPANY DISCUSSED HEREIN BASED ON SUCH INVESTORS’ OWN REVIEW OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.

No statement or expression of opinion, or any other matter herein, directly or indirectly, is an offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or financial instruments mentioned.  

Any projections, market outlooks or estimates herein are forward looking statements and are inherently unreliable.  They are based upon certain assumptions and should not be construed to be indicative of the actual events that will occur.  Other events that were not taken into account may occur and may significantly affect the returns or performance of the securities discussed herein.  The information provided herein is based on matters as they exist as of the date of preparation and not as of any future date, and the publisher undertakes no obligation to correct, update or revise the information in this document or to otherwise provide any additional material.

The publisher, its affiliates, and clients of the a publisher or its affiliates may currently have long or short positions in the securities of the companies mentioned herein, or may have such a position in the future (and therefore may profit from fluctuations in the trading price of the securities).  To the extent such persons do have such positions, there is no guarantee that such persons will maintain such positions.

Neither the publisher nor any of its affiliates accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of the information contained herein.

By using the Site or any affiliated social media account, you are indicating your consent and agreement to this disclaimer and our terms of use. Unauthorized reproduction of this newsletter or its contents by photocopy, facsimile or any other means is illegal and punishable by law.

For Full Terms of Use Click HERE. For the Privacy Policy Click HERE.

alphaletter.co (“Alpha”) is a website owned and operated by Substack. Alpha is paid fees by the companies that make investment offerings on this website. Be aware that payment of these fees may put Alpha in a conflict of interest with the investor. By accessing this website or any page thereof, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, in effect at the time you access this website or any page thereof. The Terms of Use and Privacy Policy may be amended from time to time. Nothing on this website shall constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities to any person in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation is against the law or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. Alpha is not an underwriter, broker-dealer, Title III crowdfunding portal or a valuation service and does not engage in any activities requiring any such registration. Alpha does not provide advice on investments or structure transactions. Offerings made under Regulation A under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") are available to U.S. investors who are “accredited investors” as defined by Rule 501 of Regulation D under the Securities Act well as non-accredited investors, who are subject to certain investment limitations as set forth in Regulation A under the Securities Act. In order to invest in Regulation A offerings, investors may be asked to fill out a certification and provide necessary documentation as proof of your income and/or net worth to verify that you are qualified to invest in offerings posted on this website. All securities listed on this site are being offered by, and all information included on this site is the responsibility of, the applicable issuer of such securities. Alpha does not verify the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information. Neither Alpha nor any of its officers, directors, agents and employees makes any warranty, express or implied, of any kind whatsoever related to the adequacy, accuracy, valuations of securities or completeness of any information on this site or the use of information on this site. Neither Alpha nor any of its directors, officers, employees, representatives, affiliates or agents shall have any liability whatsoever arising from any error or incompleteness of fact, or lack of care in the preparation of, any of the materials posted on this website. Investing in securities, especially those issued by start-up companies, involves substantial risk. investors should be able to bear the loss of their entire investment and should make their own determination of whether or not to make any investment based on their own independent evaluation and analysis