Bank of America on Wednesday posted fourth-quarter earnings that topped analysts’ expectations on gains from net interest income and equities trading.
Here’s what the company reported:
- Earnings: 98 cents per share vs. 96 cents expected, according to LSEG
- Revenue: $28.53 billion vs. $27.94 billion expected
The company said profit rose 12% from a year earlier to $7.6 billion, or 98 cents per share. Revenue climbed 7.1% to $28.53 billion, thanks to rising net interest income, asset management fees and trading revenue.
Shares of the bank fell more than 3% in early trading.
“With consumers and businesses proving resilient, as well as the regulatory environment and tax and trade policies coming into sharper focus, we expect further economic growth in the year ahead,” CEO Brian Moynihan said in the release. “While any number of risks continue, we are bullish on the U.S. economy in 2026.”
Net interest income, which is the difference in what a bank earns on loans and securities and what it pays depositors for their savings, rose 9.7% to $15.92 billion in the quarter. That is roughly $240 million more than what analysts had expected, per StreetAccount.
The bank also gave new guidance on net interest income, saying that it would grow 5% to 7% in 2026.
Equities trading revenue rose 23% to $2.02 billion, or about $160 million more than expected. Fixed income trading revenue edged up by 1.5% to $2.52 billion, or about $120 million below what analysts had forecast for the quarter.
Fees generated by the firm’s investment bankers were roughly flat from a year ago at $1.67 billion, nearly matching the StreetAccount estimate.
The lender got a boost from a smaller-than-expected provision for loan losses in the quarter of $1.31 billion, about $190 million lower than analysts had forecast.
Bank of America, the second-largest U.S. bank by assets after JPMorgan Chase, has been a beneficiary of the industry’s recent tail winds. Falling interest rates, rising Wall Street trading and advisory fees, stable consumer credit, and deregulation have all helped the lender, whose shares rose 25% last year.
Analysts will want to hear more from Moynihan as to whether momentum will carry into 2026.
On Tuesday, JPMorgan posted results that exceeded expectations on better-than-expected trading revenue. Citigroup and Wells Fargo also report results Wednesday, while Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley will release results Thursday.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
Correction: Bank of America’s shares rose 25% last year. An earlier version misstated the percentage.
