Full Year Net Income of $199.2 million and Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $1.81

2023 Results Include $14.1 Million of After-tax Maui Wildfire-Related Expenses and an $11.0 Million After-tax Loss Resulting from ASB’s Fourth Quarter Balance Sheet Repositioning

Core Businesses Continue to Perform Well
Utility Continuing to Progress Resilience Work in West Maui
ASB’s Balance Sheet Repositioning Strengthens Balance Sheet and Positions Bank for Improved Net Interest Margin and Profitability
Strong Credit Quality and Capital Position at ASB

News Release from Hawaiian Electric Industries, Feb 13, 2024

HONOLULU--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE) (HEI) today reported full year 2023 consolidated net income for common stock of $199.2 million and EPS of $1.81 compared to $241.1 million and EPS of $2.20 for 2022. Net income for the year included $14.1 million of after-tax wildfire-related expenses, and an $11.0 million after-tax loss on the sale of investment securities executed by American Savings Bank (ASB) in the fourth quarter. The loss resulted from selling low-yielding securities in order to reduce high cost deposits, strengthening the bank’s balance sheet while positioning the bank for improved profitability. Core net income and EPS1 for the year were $224.3 million and $2.04, respectively, compared to $235.0 million and $2.14 for 2022. For the fourth quarter of 2023, consolidated net income for common stock was $48.8 million and EPS was $0.44 compared to $57.3 million and EPS of $0.52 for the fourth quarter of 2022. Core net income and EPS1 for the fourth quarter were $53.4 million and $0.48, respectively. There were no core net income adjustments for the fourth quarter of 2022.

“Although 2023 was one of the most challenging years ever for our company and the communities we serve, I am encouraged by the collaborative efforts of so many in our state to prioritize Maui’s recovery following the devastating August wildfires. Our hearts continue to be with the people of Maui, and we remain committed to supporting the recovery and rebuild effort,” said Scott Seu, HEI president and CEO.

“Our core businesses delivered solid results under challenging circumstances, and both the utility and bank remain focused on supporting our communities and customers. The utility is continuing to execute on its plans to modernize its generation system and make our electric grids more resilient.

“The bank continues to be well-positioned with strong capital, excellent credit quality, lending capacity and ample liquidity. In addition, the sale of investment securities executed in the fourth quarter further positions ASB for improved profitability and net interest margin while strengthening the balance sheet.”

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANY (HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC) EARNINGS

Full Year Results:

Hawaiian Electric’s full-year net income was $194.0 million compared to $188.9 million in 2022, with the increase primarily driven by the following after-tax items:

$34 million higher revenues, including $27 million from the annual revenue adjustment (ARA) mechanism, $5 million from the fossil fuel cost risk-sharing mechanism and $4 million from the major project interim recovery (MPIR) mechanism, partially offset by lower performance incentive mechanism revenue;
$6 million higher allowance for funds used during construction (AFUDC) related to increased capital expenditures;
$4 million in higher interest income; and
$2 million in research and development tax credits.

These items were offset by the following after-tax items:

$28 million in higher operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses, including $8 million of labor and associated costs for the Maui windstorm and wildfire response. The remaining increase in O&M included higher transmission and distribution maintenance, and higher outside services costs;
$7 million higher interest expense due to increased borrowings; and
$6 million higher depreciation expense due to increasing investments to integrate more renewable energy and improve customer reliability and system efficiency.

Excluding incremental after-tax Maui windstorm and wildfire-related expenses, Hawaiian Electric’s core net income3 for 2023 was $195.1 million. The incremental after-tax Maui windstorm and wildfire-related expenses (excluding the One ‘Ohana Initiative contribution) of $1.1 million were comprised of $29.6 million of expenses, net of $17.5 million of insurance-related recoveries and $10.9 million of deferral treatment of costs pursuant to the Public Utilities Commission’s decision allowing Hawaiian Electric to defer these costs.

Fourth Quarter Results:

Hawaiian Electric’s net income for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $58.2 million, compared to $48.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, with the variance primarily driven by the following after-tax items: $9 million of combined deferral treatment and insurance recoveries, net of expenses, related to the Maui windstorm and wildfires, $8 million higher revenues, including $7 million from the ARA mechanism and $1 million from the MPIR mechanism; $2 million in research and development tax credits and $1 million higher AFUDC; partially offset by $8 million of higher operation and maintenance expenses primarily related to transmission and distribution, bad debt and other outside services. Normalizing for the deferral treatment and insurance recoveries, and excluding incremental after-tax Maui windstorm and wildfire-related expenses, Hawaiian Electric’s core net income3 for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $48.9 million.

Utility Dividend Declaration

On February 9, 2024 Hawaiian Electric’s Board of Directors declared a $13 million quarterly cash dividend to its sole common stockholder, HEI. This is down from approximately $30 million declared in each of the previous three consecutive quarters. With the suspension of HEI’s dividend to its common stockholders, cash needs at the HEI parent company are limited relative to cash needs prior to the dividend suspension, and reducing the utility’s dividend to HEI allows more cash to be kept at the utility, supporting its ability to perform needed restoration work in West Maui, make critical capital investments supporting wildfire mitigation and in other electrical infrastructure while capital markets access remains limited.

AMERICAN SAVINGS BANK EARNINGS

Full Year Results:

ASB’s full year 2023 net income was $53.4 million, compared to $80.0 million in 2022. Net income for the year included $8.3 million of Maui wildfire-related expenses after tax, and an $11.0 million after-tax loss on the sale of investment securities recorded in the fourth quarter. The loss resulted from selling low-yielding securities in order to reduce high cost deposits, strengthening the bank’s balance sheet while positioning the bank for improved profitability. Core net income4 for the year was $72.6 million.

Net interest income was $252.0 million in 2023 compared to $252.6 million in 2022, with higher interest and dividend income approximately offset by the impacts of higher funding costs. Noninterest income for 2023 was $45.4 million compared to $57.0 million in 2022. The decrease in noninterest income was primarily due to a $15.0 million pre-tax ($11.0 million after-tax) loss on sale of investment securities recorded in the fourth quarter. The sale of investment securities was executed in order to reposition the balance sheet by divesting securities with below-market yields to pay down higher cost funding, positioning ASB for improved net interest margin and profitability.

As of December 31, 2023 and compared to December 31, 2022:

Total earning assets were $9.2 billion, up 0.50%;
Total loans were $6.2 billion, up 3.4%; and
Total deposits were $8.1 billion, approximately flat.

The average cost of funds was 0.93% for the full year 2023, 77 basis points higher than the prior year as higher interest rates and a shift in funding mix increased funding costs.

ASB’s return on average equity for the full year 2023 was 11.0% compared to 14.1% in 2022. Return on average assets for the full year was 0.55% in 2023 compared to 0.86% in 2022. Core return on average equity and core return on average assets4 were 14.9% and 0.75%, respectively.

Fourth Quarter Results:

Net income for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $3.2 million, and included $2.0 million of after-tax Maui wildfire-related expenses as well as the aforementioned loss on sale of securities. This compared to $17.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Core net income4 for the fourth quarter was $16.2 million.

For the fourth quarter 2023, return on average equity was 2.7%, compared to 15.7% in the fourth quarter of 2022. Core return on average equity5 for the quarter was 13.7%. Return on average assets was 0.13% for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 0.76% in the same quarter last year. Core return on average assets5 was 0.67%. Please refer to ASB’s news release issued on January 30, 2024 for additional information on ASB.

HOLDING AND OTHER COMPANIES

The holding and other companies’ net loss was $48.1 million in 2023 compared to $27.8 million in 2022. The higher net loss for the year was primarily due to the after-tax $6.2 million gain on sale of an equity method investment recorded in 2022 at Pacific Current, higher interest expense, lower Pacific Current net income and wildfire-related expenses. Core net loss for the year was $43.4 million compared to $34.0 million in 20225. The fourth quarter net loss was $12.6 million compared to $9.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. The higher net loss compared to the prior year quarter was primarily due to lower Pacific Current net income, higher interest expense and wildfire-related expenses. Core net loss for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $11.7 million5. There were no core adjustments to net income for the fourth quarter of 2022.

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CB: Hawaiian Electric Says It Is Financially Stable Despite Maui Wildfire Costs