Why LendingClub, DHI Group, and Opus Bank Slumped Today
Stocks gave up ground on Monday, with the Dow falling 52 points and other major market benchmarks making similar declines on a percentage basis. Many market commentators pointed to falling oil prices as one of the culprits for the downbeat day, as crude dropped below $50 per barrel to raise new concerns that the recent rebound for the energy sector could prove short-lived. Earnings-related news helped bolster some stocks, but others fell prey to downward pressure and economic uncertainty. Among the worst decliners on the day were LendingClub (NYSE: LC), DHI Group (NYSE: DHX), and Opus Bank (NASDAQ: OPB).
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LendingClub sees credit quality concerns
LendingClub fell 7% after the lender said late Friday that it would have to tighten its lending standards and raise its interest rates in order to combat rising levels of borrower delinquencies. Already, LendingClub has had to make substantial changes in order to try to make investors more comfortable with the company's business model, and investors would generally be pleased at the idea that borrowers would have to pay more to offset higher loan losses. Yet many LendingClub shareholders worry that rates that are too high will hurt borrowing demand, and that could lead to a loss of customer interest that could also create downward pressure. LendingClub will have to find a happy medium, and that could prove tricky if customer credit quality continues to deteriorate.
DHI Group warns of tough times
DHI Group plunged 19% after the provider of professional personnel services warned that its third-quarter results would come in below its previous guidance. Specifically, the company said that sales would be about $56 million, which is between $1.5 million and $2.5 million below what DHI Group said in late July. Similarly, adjusted EBITDA would be just $14.8 million, missing calls for between $16 million and $17 million, and earnings per share of $0.10 would be between $0.01 and $0.02 per share less than expected. DHI blamed slow adoption of new pay-for-performance products, sluggish conditions in its core talent-acquisition business, and the fallout from the U.K. Brexit vote as contributing to the warning. CEO Michael Durney said that he remains optimistic about the long-term future even if occasional challenging periods are inevitable.
Opus Bank charges downward
Finally, Opus Bank dropped 21%. The bank warned that its third-quarter results would take a big hit from loan-related charge-offs, amounting to $38.8 million in connection with eight specific loan relationships. Opus also said that it would increase its reserve levels for remaining loans by $13.6 million. As a result of the moves, Opus said that it would lose $0.05 per share in the third quarter, with the charges costing the bank $0.59 per share in earnings. The California-based bank might not be typical of the state of the overall banking sector currently, but some investors worry that if Opus is a leading indicator of what could come in the future, similar losses could spread to other banks as well.
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