First Community Bankshares Inc

First Community Bankshares delivered a strong fourth quarter, with adjusted earnings per share of $0.77 beating the $0.62 consensus estimate by 24.19%, while revenue of $43.79 million cleared expectations by 23.79%, even as total revenue slipped 1.5% from a year ago. The standout driver was a meaningful expansion in net interest margin, which widened 17 basis points to 4.53% on a fully taxable equivalent basis, as the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities fell 25 basis points to 0.88%, compressing funding costs by more than $1 million year-over-year. Credit quality also provided a tailwind, with the provision for credit losses collapsing to just $36,000 from $1.08 million a year earlier and nonperforming assets declining sharply to $14.15 million. The company's Chief Risk Officer added to his personal stake shortly after results were released, a signal of internal confidence. Looking ahead, the January 2026 completion of the Hometown Bancshares acquisition, which added roughly $415 million in assets and $376 million in deposits, positions First Community for expanded operations in the coming quarters.