Orange County’s financial sector seems to be perking up after a nervous first half of 2019.
The stocks of Orange County’s largest locally based banks, including Pacific Premier Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: PPBI), Opus Bank (Nasdaq: OPB) and Banc of California Inc. (NYSE: BANC), have risen anywhere from 18% to more than 30% since the Federal Reserve began reducing interest rates last summer.
Local bankers privately are sounding more optimistic about the OC economy next year.
“Loan originations are poised to increase in 2020” at Irvine’s First Foundation Inc. (Nasdaq: FFWM), D.A. Davidson analyst Gary Tenner wrote in a Dec. 16 note to investors.
He raised the target price of OC’s fourth-largest bank from $16.75 to $19.50. Its stock has risen more than 30% since July to about $17.13 with a $765 million market cap.
It wasn’t only OC banks that benefitted from the Fed actions. Companies such as Foothill Ranch-based loanDepot LLC, the nation’s second-largest non-bank originator of mortgages, announced in July it intended to hire 1,300 more employees before the end of the year, citing dropping interest rates.
PIMCO Push
Newport Beach’s Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO) also appears to be back on track. Like many other funds, a poor December a year ago slammed its 2018 results.
This year is quite different. As of press time, 93 of its 95 funds reported positive gains year to date, including 47 that are reporting gains of more than 10%.
Its assets under management grew to $1.88 trillion as of press time from $1.7 trillion a year ago.
PIMCO has a great edge when it comes to the Fed. Richard Clarida, an economist who was a global strategic adviser at PIMCO, joined the Fed in 2018 as vice chairman.
