We're upgrading our rating on Wells Fargo as the stock's pullback offers a nice entry point
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Wells Fargo shares dipped 2% Tuesday after the bank reported mixed third-quarter results. However, we think better days are ahead as management's efforts to improve returns take hold, and we're upgrading the stock as a result. Total revenue at the bank increased 2% year over year to $21.9 billion in the third quarter, missing the LSEG-compiled consensus estimate of $22.3 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) for the three months ending Sept. 30 rose 13% to $1.87, beating the $1.85 consensus estimate. Bottom line We're not surprised to see a bit of weakness on Tuesday due to misses on key operating lines. Revenue missed expectations by $430 million, with shortfalls from both net interest income (NII) and non-interest income, a collection of Wells' fee-based businesses. Non-interest expenses came in below expectations, which is encouraging, but the $112 million beat versus the FactSet consensus didn't make up for all of the top-line softness. Given the bank's sensitivity to interest rates, we should start to see NII trend higher in this higher-rate environment. Net interest margin (NIM) - a key measure of a profitability, measuring the spread between what a bank earns on loans and pays out on deposits - stabilized quarter over quarter at 2.43%. This is in keeping with what CFO Michael Santomassimo said at a Barclays conference last month. The stabilization was a big deal because...
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