Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU)

Sector: Financial Services Industry: Banks - Regional CIK: 0000723188
Market Cap 3.06 Bn
P/B 1.58
P/E 14.88
P/S 3.95
ROIC (Qtr) 7.36
Div Yield % 4.01
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 11.18
Total Debt (Qtr) 763.35 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.39

About

Community Bank System, Inc., often recognized by its stock symbol CBU, operates in the banking, employee benefit services, and insurance services industries. The company's operations span across several regions, including Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. Community Bank System, Inc. is primarily engaged in the banking sector, which contributes significantly to its total revenue. The company's banking segment offers a diverse range of commercial and retail banking services, including deposit accounts,...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong tangible asset base of 16.06B provides 21.04x coverage of total debt 763.35M, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 283.02M provides strong 29.01x coverage of stock compensation 9.76M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 234.76M exceeds capital expenditure of 48.26M by 4.86x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Operating cash flow of 283.02M provides strong 5.50x coverage of operating expenses 51.43M, showing operational efficiency.
  • Retained earnings of 1.36B provide strong 1.51x coverage of intangibles 899.97M, indicating quality earnings retention.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 283.02M barely covers its investment activities of (676.42M), with a coverage ratio of -0.42, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 283.02M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (97M) with a -2.92 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Cash reserves of 245.25M provide limited coverage of acquisition spending of (8.54M), which is -28.72x, suggesting aggressive expansion might strain liquidity if market conditions deteriorate.
  • Free cash flow of 234.76M represents just -1.27x of debt issuance (184.85M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.
  • Operating cash flow of 283.02M is outpaced by equity issuance of (2.17M) (-130.55 ratio), indicating concerning reliance on equity markets for funding operations.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Banks - Regional
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 USB Us Bancorp \De\ 84.44 Bn 12.40 3.25 77.98 Bn
2 PNC Pnc Financial Services Group, Inc. 84.36 Bn 13.61 3.73 62.34 Bn
3 NU Nu Holdings Ltd. 81.47 Bn 32.21 5.79 4.49 Bn
4 NWG NatWest Group plc 66.53 Bn 9.88 3.05 169.04 Bn
5 TFC Truist Financial Corp 64.60 Bn 13.18 3.53 71.11 Bn
6 MTB M&T Bank Corp 32.73 Bn 12.47 3.60 14.99 Bn
7 FITB Fifth Third Bancorp 31.96 Bn 14.15 3.93 18.94 Bn
8 FCNCA First Citizens Bancshares Inc /De/ 28.98 Bn 12.78 3.26 40.00 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 0.22 0.14
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 13.14 7.21
EV to Debt EV to Debt 4.87 5.20
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 13.88 14.98
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 12.52 8.92
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 15.85 8.87
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.21 1.04
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 4.79 -3.76
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 1.58 1.17
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 14.88 15.63
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 2.12 271.44
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 47.60 35.28
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 1.85 0.89
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 41.66 34.52
Interest Coverage Interest Coverage 0.00 -0.05
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -256.30 -73.15
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) -29.14 15.78
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 2.21 5.32
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 23.70 110.93
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 21.55 38.80
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 24.10 61.46
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 24.10 61.37
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 23.89 76.34
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 13.03 161.72
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 9.90 14.15
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.05 0.04
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.29 0.26
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio 0.00 0.00
Current Ratio Current Ratio 0.00 0.01
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.39 0.53
Interest Cover Ratio Interest Cover Ratio 0.00 -0.05
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned 0.00 -0.05
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 38.30 147.97
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 34.53 155.41
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 34.53 154.66
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 100.00 97.82
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 26.50 115.63