Wells Fargo reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analyst estimates but fell just short on revenue. Profit received a boost from the tax bill, putting the bank in a unique position among its Wall Street peers.
The third-largest bank by assets said it earned $1.16 a share, or $6.2 billion, on revenue of $22.05 billion. The bank was expected to report fourth-quarter earnings of $1.07 per share on revenue of $22.38 billion, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
"While we faced challenges in 2017, we are a much better company today than we were a year ago, and I am confident that this year Wells Fargo will be even better," CEO Tim Sloan said in a statement.
The profit represents a 17 percent increase from the same period in 2016.
Shares, however, were down nearly 1 percent in electronic trading shortly after the earnings release, off the morning lows.
"There is nothing in this report that suggests the stock should be bought," said Vertical Group analyst Dick Bove. "However this report reflects history not the numerous positive changes expected in 2018 in investment banking, mortgages, credit cards, loan growth overall, expense savings. Therefore, I would ignore the report."
Bove said the report was particular weakness in
Here's how the company did on an adjusted basis:
- EPS: adjusted $1.16 vs. $1.07 expected, according to Thomson Reuters
- Revenue: $22.05 billion vs. $22.38 billion expected, according to Thomson Reuters