First Bancorp

FBNC

Market cap $2.3B

Regional-bank stocks trade at lower valuations than those of the largest U.S. banks.

The First Bancorp delivered robust earnings growth, with net income up 20% YoY despite higher loan loss provisions. FNLC's net interest income surged nearly 25%, supported by rising interest income and lower expenses, while the dividend remains well-covered. Loan book quality is under scrutiny as past due loans—mainly CRE—rose, but real estate backing and modest provisioning mitigate immediate risk.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. , Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of First Bancorp (NASDAQ: FBNC) (the "Company"), the parent company of First Bank, has declared a cash dividend on its common stock of $0.23 per share payable on January 25, 2026 to shareholders of record as of December 31, 2025.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. , Oct. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- First Bancorp (NASDAQ: FBNC), the parent company of First Bank ("the Bank"), announced today that G.

While the top- and bottom-line numbers for First Bancorp (FBNC) give a sense of how the business performed in the quarter ended September 2025, it could be worth looking at how some of its key metrics compare to Wall Street estimates and year-ago values.

First Bancorp (FBNC) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.01 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.93 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.7 per share a year ago.

Third Quarter 2025 Financial Data (Dollars in 000s, except per share data) Q3-2025 Q2-2025 Q3-2024 Summary Income Statement Total interest income $  144,200 $  136,741 $  131,409 Total interest expense 41,711 40,065 48,366 Net interest income 102,489 96,676 83,043 Provision for credit losses 3,442 2,212 14,200 Noninterest income (12,879) 14,341 13,579 Noninterest expenses 60,211 58,983 59,850 Income tax expense 5,594 11,256 3,892 Net income $ 20,363 $ 38,566 $ 18,680 Key Metrics Diluted EPS $     0.49 $     0.93 $     0.45 Adjusted diluted EPS (1) $     1.01 $     0.93 $     0.45 Book value per share 38.67 37.53 35.74 Tangible book value per share 26.98 25.82 23.91 ROA 0.64 % 1.24 % 0.61 % Adjusted ROA (1) 1.31 % 1.24 % 0.61 % ROCE 5.14 % 10.11 % 5.14 % Adjusted ROCE (1) 10.55 % 10.11 % 5.14 % ROTCE 7.83 % 15.25 % 8.30 % Adjusted ROTCE (1) 15.66 % 15.25 % 8.30 % NIM 3.46 % 3.32 % 2.88 % NIM- T/E 3.47 % 3.32 % 2.91 % Quarterly NCO ratio 0.14 % 0.06 % 0.11 % ACL ratio 1.44 % 1.47 % 1.53 % Capital Ratios (2) Tangible common equity to tangible assets 9.12 % 8.83 % 8.47 % Common equity tier I capital ratio 14.35 % 14.64 % 14.37 % Total risk-based capital ratio 16.58 % 16.90 % 16.65 % (1) Q3-2025 adjusted to exclude impact of securities loss of $27.9 million (after tax $21.4 million). See Appendices D, E, F and G.

First Bancorp (FBNC) has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), reflecting growing optimism about the company's earnings prospects. This might drive the stock higher in the near term.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. , Sept. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of First Bancorp (NASDAQ: FBNC) (the "Company"), the parent company of First Bank, has declared a cash dividend on its common stock of $0.23 per share payable on October 25, 2025 to shareholders of record as of September 30, 2025.

First Bancorp has grown deposits and improved asset quality, but revenue and profit growth have been inconsistent over recent years. Recent improvements in net interest income is positive, but years of weak performance temper my enthusiasm. The stock remains expensive on a price-to-earnings basis, even with improved forecasts, making it less attractive for value investors like myself.