Company Profile (excerpt from Reuters): Columbia Banking System, Inc. (Columbia), incorporated on May 27, 1988, is a bank holding company for Columbia State Bank (the Bank) and Columbia Trust Company (Columbia Trust). The Company provides a range of banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individuals throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Columbia Trust provides fiduciary, agency, trust and related services, and life insurance products. The Company offers products and services, which include Personal Banking, Business Banking and Wealth Management. Its Personal Banking products and services include Checking and Saving Accounts; Consumer Lending; Digital Banking; Residential Lending, and VISA Card Services. Its Business Banking products and services include Agricultural Lending; Commercial and Industrial Lending; International Banking; Merchant Card Services; Municipal Lending; Real Estate and Real Estate Construction Lending; Remote Deposit Capture; Small Business Administration (SBA) Lending; Small Business Services, and Treasury Management. Its Wealth Management products and services include Investment Services, Private Banking and Professional Banking. As of December 31, 2016, the Bank provided a range of financial services through 143 branch locations, including 73 in the State of Washington, 56 in Oregon and 14 in Idaho.
Downloadable PDF version of this valuation:
ModernGraham Valuation of COLB – August 2018
Stage 1: Is this company suitable for the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor?
What kind of Intelligent Investor are you?
| Defensive Investor; must pass all 6 of the following tests. | ||||
| 1. Adequate Size of the Enterprise | Market Cap > $2Bil | $2,980,344,679 | Pass | |
| 2. Earnings Stability | Positive EPS for 10 years prior | Fail | ||
| 3. Dividend Record | Dividend Payments for 10 years prior | Pass | ||
| 4. Earnings Growth | Increase of 33% in EPS in past 10 years using 3 year averages at beginning and end | 290.97% | Pass | |
| 5. Moderate PEmg Ratio | PEmg < 20 | 20.81 | Fail | |
| 6. Moderate Price to Assets | PB Ratio < 2.5 OR PB*PEmg < 50 | 1.52 | Pass | |
| Enterprising Investor; must pass all 3 of the following tests, or be suitable for the Defensive Investor. | ||||
| 1. Earnings Stability | Positive EPS for 5 years prior | Pass | ||
| 2. Dividend Record | Currently Pays Dividend | Pass | ||
| 3. Earnings Growth | EPSmg greater than 5 years ago | Pass | ||
Stage 2: Determination of Intrinsic Value
| EPSmg | $1.98 |
| MG Growth Estimate | 8.42% |
| MG Value | $50.28 |
| Opinion | Fairly Valued |
| MG Grade | C+ |
| MG Value based on 3% Growth | $28.77 |
| MG Value based on 0% Growth | $16.86 |
| Market Implied Growth Rate | 6.16% |
| Current Price | $41.29 |
| % of Intrinsic Value | 82.12% |
Columbia Banking System Inc is suitable for the Enterprising Investor but not the more conservative Defensive Investor. The Defensive Investor is concerned with the insufficient earnings stability over the last ten years, and the high PEmg ratio. The Enterprising Investor has no initial concerns. As a result, all Enterprising Investors following the ModernGraham approach should feel comfortable proceeding with the analysis.
As for a valuation, the company appears to be Fairly Valued after growing its EPSmg (normalized earnings) from $1.27 in 2014 to an estimated $1.98 for 2018. This level of demonstrated earnings growth supports the market’s implied estimate of 6.16% annual earnings growth over the next 7-10 years. As a result, the ModernGraham valuation model, based on Benjamin Graham’s formula, returns an estimate of intrinsic value within a margin of safety relative to the price.
At the time of valuation, further research into Columbia Banking System Inc revealed the company was trading above its Graham Number of $37.89. The company pays a dividend of $0.88 per share, for a yield of 2.1%, putting it among the best dividend paying stocks today. Its PEmg (price over earnings per share – ModernGraham) was 20.81, which was above the industry average of 19.62.
Columbia Banking System Inc receives an average overall rating in the ModernGraham grading system, scoring a C+.
Stage 3: Information for Further Research
| Graham Number | $37.89 |
| PEmg | 20.81 |
| PB Ratio | 1.52 |
| Dividend Yield | 2.13% |
| TTM Dividend | $0.88 |
| Number of Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth | 7 |
Useful Links:
| ModernGraham tagged articles | Morningstar |
| Google Finance | MSN Money |
| Yahoo Finance | Seeking Alpha |
| GuruFocus | SEC Filings |
Most Recent Balance Sheet Figures
| Balance Sheet Information | 6/1/2018 |
| Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation | $135,104,000 |
| Total Assets | $12,628,586,000 |
| Intangible Assets | $817,739,000 |
| Total Liabilities | $10,663,705,000 |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) | 72,390,000 |
Earnings Per Share History
| EPS History | |
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | $2.39 |
| Dec2017 | $1.86 |
| Dec2016 | $1.81 |
| Dec2015 | $1.71 |
| Dec2014 | $1.52 |
| Dec2013 | $1.21 |
| Dec2012 | $1.16 |
| Dec2011 | $1.21 |
| Dec2010 | $0.72 |
| Dec2009 | -$0.38 |
| Dec2008 | $0.30 |
| Dec2007 | $1.91 |
| Dec2006 | $1.99 |
| Dec2005 | $1.87 |
| Dec2004 | $1.52 |
| Dec2003 | $1.37 |
| Dec2002 | $0.78 |
| Dec2001 | $0.87 |
| Dec2000 | $0.69 |
| Dec1999 | $0.81 |
| Dec1998 | $0.71 |
Earnings Per Share – ModernGraham History
| EPSmg History | |
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | $1.98 |
| Dec2017 | $1.73 |
| Dec2016 | $1.60 |
| Dec2015 | $1.45 |
| Dec2014 | $1.27 |
| Dec2013 | $1.03 |
| Dec2012 | $0.82 |
| Dec2011 | $0.69 |
| Dec2010 | $0.59 |
| Dec2009 | $0.73 |
| Dec2008 | $1.36 |
| Dec2007 | $1.84 |
| Dec2006 | $1.70 |
| Dec2005 | $1.46 |
| Dec2004 | $1.19 |
| Dec2003 | $0.98 |
| Dec2002 | $0.78 |
Recommended Reading:
Other ModernGraham posts about the company
Columbia Banking System Inc Valuation – Initial Coverage $COLB
Other ModernGraham posts about related companies
Disclaimer:
The author did not hold a position in any company mentioned in this article at the time of publication and had no intention of changing that position within the next 72 hours.  See my current holdings here.  This article is not investment advice; any reader should speak to a registered investment adviser prior to making any investment decisions.  ModernGraham is not affiliated with the company in any manner.  Please be sure to review our detailed disclaimer.
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