Meridian Corp (NASDAQ: MRBK)

Sector: Financial Services Industry: Banks - Regional CIK: 0001750735
Market Cap 198.68 Mn
P/B 1.06
P/E 9.81
P/S 1.81
ROIC (Qtr) 5.53
Div Yield % 3.54
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 12.80
Total Debt (Qtr) 187.09 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.99

About

Meridian Corp, also known by its ticker symbol MRBK, operates in the financial services industry, providing a range of products and services to small and middle-market businesses, professionals, and retail customers in the Delaware Valley tri-state market, Central Maryland, and Florida. Meridian's main business activities revolve around three key segments: Commercial Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Wealth Management. The Commercial Banking segment offers deposit and treasury management services, commercial and industrial lending, commercial real...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong tangible asset base of 2.53B provides 13.54x coverage of total debt 187.09M, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 29.77M provides strong 31.91x coverage of stock compensation 933000, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 28.11M exceeds capital expenditure of 1.66M by 16.92x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Retained earnings of 122.38M represent substantial 0.65x of equity 188.03M, indicating strong internal capital generation.
  • Retained earnings of 122.38M provide strong 16.63x coverage of intangibles 7.36M, indicating quality earnings retention.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 29.77M barely covers its investment activities of (164.51M), with a coverage ratio of -0.18, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 29.77M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (5.64M) with a -5.28 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Free cash flow of 28.11M represents just -3.58x of debt issuance (7.84M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.
  • Retained earnings of 122.38M provide limited buffer against comprehensive income items of (5.91M), which is -20.72x, indicating elevated exposure to market risks.
  • R&D investment of 0 represents just 0x of SG&A expenses of 60.01M, indicating potential underinvestment in innovation relative to administrative overhead.

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 0.13 0.14
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 11.33 7.21
EV to Debt EV to Debt 1.80 5.20
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 12.63 14.98
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 12.42 8.92
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 12.00 8.87
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.70 1.04
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 3.07 -3.76
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 1.06 1.17
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 9.81 15.63
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 3.59 271.44
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 27.80 35.28
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.50 0.89
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 20.15 34.52
Interest Coverage Interest Coverage 0.00 -0.05
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -72.12 -73.15
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 23.63 15.78
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 0.00 5.32
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 78.97 110.93
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 77.09 38.80
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 79.01 61.46
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 79.01 61.37
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 76.47 76.34
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 63.42 161.72
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 18.84 14.15
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.04 0.04
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.18 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) 0.99 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) 24.70 147.97
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 24.33 155.41
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 24.33 154.66
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 100.00 97.82
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 18.50 115.63