Five Things to Watch for in Wells Fargo's Earnings
April 12 2018 - 1:29PM
Dow Jones News
By Emily Glazer
Wells Fargo & Co. is expected to report its first-quarter
results before the market opens Friday. Here's what you need to
know.
1. Higher Earnings Expected
Analysts are expecting Wells Fargo to post per-share earnings of
$1.06 for the quarter, according to Thomson Reuters, compared with
$1.00 in the year-earlier period.
2. Revenue May Slip Though
Revenue of $21.73 billion is forecast, compared with the roughly
$22 billion reported in the year-earlier quarter.
3. Tax Overhaul Boost
Unlike most other big banks, the new U.S. tax law caused Wells
Fargo to record one-time gains to profit in the fourth quarter.
Investors will be poised to find out if there are further impacts
to the bank's business from the tax overhaul and how the first
quarter fared without other one-time impacts from divestitures or
litigation.
4. Clarity on Cost Cuts
Wells Fargo has been under pressure to cut costs after a
consistent rise over the past several quarters. In mid-January,
finance chief John Shrewsberry said 2018 expenses would likely
range between $53.5 billion and $54.5 billion. Wells Fargo shared
an ambitious yearslong $4 billion cost-cutting plan at its investor
day presentation around a year ago, but it has operated well above
its so-called efficiency ratio for the past six quarters.
5. Sales Problems Lingering?
Investors will be looking for more information on the latest
problems Wells Fargo is tackling in its wealth-management unit. The
bank is also likely to settle with the Office of the Comptroller of
the Currency over issues related to risk management, which led to
problems like improperly charging customers for auto-lending and
mortgage services.
Write to Emily Glazer at emily.glazer@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 12, 2018 13:14 ET (17:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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