New York, Jul. 22 - SunTrust Banks Inc said on Tuesday it plans to bolster capital by unloading a big Coca-Cola Co stake it has held for nearly 90 years, as higher real estate losses led to a 21 percent drop in quarterly profit.
By disposing of its 43.6 million share stake, the large U.S. southeast regional bank will break some ties with the soft drink maker. It has held the shares since 1919, when predecessor bank Trust Co of Georgia helped take Coke public. SunTrust also has a copy of the formula to make Coke.
Shares rose 8 percent in premarket trading.
"The impetus for the transactions announced today was exclusively related to SunTrust's own capital optimization goals," SunTrust Chief Executive James Wells said in a statement. "We retain the highest degree of institutional respect for The Coca-Cola Company as one of the world's leading companies with whom SunTrust has enjoyed a long, positive and productive relationship."
Both companies are based in Atlanta. Coca-Cola did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
SunTrust sold 10 million Coke shares in June, and in July arranged to dispose of another 30 million shares over time. Also in July, SunTrust contributed another 3.6 million shares to charity.
The bank said the transactions boost its Tier 1 capital ratio, which measures its ability to cover losses, by 0.68 of a percentage point to 7.95 percent on a pro forma basis as of June 30. Regulators consider 6 percent sufficient. The pro forma ratio assumes the transactions were completed in June.
Second-quarter net income available to common stockholders fell to $535.3 million, or $1.53 per share, from $673.9 million, or $1.89, a year earlier.
Excluding the Coke transactions and other items, profit was 78 cents per share, topping the average Wall Street forecast of 64 cents, Reuters Estimates said. Year-earlier profit was $1.48 per share excluding a separate Coke stock sale.
Revenue increased 9 percent to $2.6 billion, compared with the average forecast for $2.13 billion.
The bank pledged to maintain its 77 cents per share quarterly dividend. SunTrust also said it generated $135 million of savings in the quarter as part of its multiyear program to cut costs.
SunTrust more than quadrupled the amount it set aside for loan losses to $448 million from $104.7 million. Net charge-offs soared $323 million from $88 million.
Lending income fell 3 percent from a year earlier to $1.19 billion, though net interest margin edged up to 3.13 percent from 3.10 percent, and from the first quarter's 3.07 percent.
Fee income rose 22 percent to $1.41 billion, in part because of the Coke sales, and helped by respective increases of 17 percent and 14.6 percent in deposit service charges and card fees. Expenses increased 10 percent to $1.38 billion.
Shares of SunTrust closed Monday at $34.14 on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares have fallen 45 percent this year, versus a 30 percent drop in the KBW Bank Index.
SunTrust ended June with $175.5 billion of assets. It operates about 1,699 branches in 11 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.