U.S. Bancorp USB reported third-quarter 2015 results wherein earnings per share of 81 cents came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Results were above the prior-year quarter earnings of 78 cents.
Growth in average loans and deposits along with top-line expansion reflected organic growth. Reduction in provisions and a strong capital position were the other positives. However, increase in expenses was on the downside.
Furthermore, segment-wise, on a year-over-year basis, quarterly net income in Wholesale Banking and Commercial Real Estate and Consumer and Small Business Banking segments fell 18.6% and 17.3%, respectively, while, Wealth Management and Securities Services reported in-line results. However, Treasury and Corporate Support and Payment Services segments reported a rise of 23.9% and 6.2%, respectively.
Quarter in Detail
U.S. Bancorp’s net revenue came in at around $5.1 billion in the quarter, up 3.1% year over year. Increase in both net interest and non-interest income drove the results. Revenues were almost in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
U.S. Bancorp’s tax-equivalent net interest income stood at $2.8 billion in the quarter, up 2.7% from the prior-year quarter. The rise was mainly due to increased average earning assets. These positives were partially offset by a continued shift in loan portfolio mix and low rates on investment securities.
Average earning assets climbed 6.6% year over year, driven by growth in average total loans and average investment securities. Yet, net interest margin of 3.04% was down 12 basis points year over year and mainly reflected change in the loan portfolio mix, rise in the investment portfolio at reduced average rates along with lower reinvestment rates on investment securities.
U.S. Bancorp’s non-interest income rose 3.7% year over year to $2.3 billion. The rise was mainly due to gain on Visa sale along with growth in mostly categories of non-interest income. However, these positives were impacted by decreased mortgage banking revenue, investment products fees and corporate payment products revenue. Notably, recent trouble in the student loan securitization market also added to the negatives.
U.S. Bancorp’s average total loans increased 2.7% year over year to $250.5 billion. The growth stemmed from a rise in commercial loans, total commercial real estate and credit card loans. These increases were partially offset by a drop in residential mortgages, retail leasing and covered loans. Excluding covered loans, average total loans rose 3.8% year over year.
Average total deposits were up 6.9% from the prior-year quarter to $289.7 billion. The rise was due to growth in non-interest-bearing deposits, savings deposits as well as interest-bearing deposits.
Non-interest expense rose 6.2% year over year to $2.8 billion at U.S. Bancorp. Notably, third-quarter 2014 expenses included mortgage-related compliance costs and talent upgrade costs. Moreover, elevated compensation and employee benefits, higher marketing and business development and professional services costs were the other negatives.
Credit Quality
Credit metrics at U.S. Bancorp marked a significant improvement in the reported quarter. Net charge-offs (excluding covered loans) stood at $292 million, down about 12.8% year over year. On a year-over-year basis, the company experienced improvement in net charge-offs in the residential mortgages, total other retail, and commercial real estate.
Total allowance for credit losses was $4.3 billion, down 2.3% year over year. U.S. Bancorp’s nonperforming assets (excluding covered assets) were $1.5 billion, down 16.7% year over year. Moreover, provision for credit losses decreased 9.3% year over year to $282 million in the reported quarter.
Capital Position
During the quarter under review, U.S. Bancorp maintained a solid capital position. Effective Jan 1, 2014, the regulatory capital requirements for the company comply with Basel III, subject to certain transition provisions from Basel I over the next four years to full implementation by Jan 1, 2018. Additionally, as of Apr 1, 2014, the advanced approach of Basel III became effective. The transitional common equity tier 1 capital ratio was 9.6% as of Sep 30, 2015 compared with 9.7% as of Sep 30, 2014, under the standardized approach.
The tier 1 capital ratio was 11.1% compared with 11.3% as Sep 30, 2014. Common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio under the Basel III standardized approach fully implemented was 9.2% as of Sep 30, 2015, compared with 9.0% as of Sep 30, 2014.
All regulatory ratios of U.S. Bancorp continued to be in excess of “well-capitalized” requirements. Moreover, based on the Basel III transitional advanced approach, the Tier 1 common equity to risk-weighted assets ratio was estimated at 13.0% as of Sep 30, 2015 compared with 12.4% as of Sep 30, 2014. The common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio under the Basel III advanced approach fully implemented was 12.4% as of Sep 30, 2015 as compared with 11.8% as of Sep 30, 2014.
The tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio was 7.7% as of Sep 30, 2015 compared with 7.6% as of Sep 30, 2014.
U.S. Bancorp posted an improvement in book value per share, which increased to $22.99 as of Sep 30, 2015 from $21.38 at the end of the prior-year quarter.
Capital Deployment Update
Reflecting the company’s capital strength during the third quarter, U.S. Bancorp returned 80% of earnings to shareholders through common stock dividends of $448 million and stock buyback worth $688 million. It was at the higher end of the range of its long-term goal of returning 60–80% to shareholders.
In Conclusion
U.S. Bancorp’s attractive core franchisee, diverse revenue sources and impressive performances have retained investors’ confidence. A solid capital position and increased lending activities are also added advantages. The company follows a conservative growth stratagem and has made small but strategic acquisitions.
Moreover, the latest hike of 4.1% in the quarterly common stock dividend in June 2015 marks U.S. Bancorp’s fifth dividend increase since 2011, reflecting its commitment to return value to shareholders with strong cash generation capabilities.
However, the top-line headwinds are expected to persist, given the sluggish economic recovery. Also, a low interest-rate environment would keep U.S. Bancorp’s margins under pressure.
Though equity-centric activities in the U.S. are expected to support U.S. Bancorp’s results in the upcoming quarters with expected recovery in the capital markets, there are concerns related to the impact of legal issues and its global exposure. The shares of U.S. Bancorp currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Performance of Other Major Banks
JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM which kick-started the third-quarter earnings has missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The bank came up with adjusted earnings of $1.32 per share, delivering a negative surprise of 4.3%. The bottom line also declined 2.9% from the year-ago earnings of $1.36 per share. Weak trading activities primarily led to a decline in the overall profit for JPMorgan this time around. Revenues from trading fixed income, currencies and commodities fell 23%to $2.93 billion.
Driven by top-line growth, Wells Fargo & Company’s WFC earnings of $1.05 per share in third-quarter 2015 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Moreover, results were above the year-ago quarter earnings of $1.02 per share. Wells Fargo reflected organic growth aided by higher revenues along with strong loans and deposit balances. Moreover, a strong capital position and returns on assets and equity acted as the positives. However, higher non-interest expenses and provisions were a concern.
Lower operating expenses and negligible legal costs drove Bank of America Corporation’s BAC third-quarter 2015 earnings of 37 cents per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 34 cents. Further, the bottom line witnessed a significant improvement from net loss of 4 cents incurred in the prior-year quarter.
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