Why Bank of America (BAC) Outpaced the Stock Market Today

Zacks
20 Mar

Bank of America (BAC) closed the latest trading day at $42.21, indicating a +1.34% change from the previous session's end. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.08%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.92%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 1.41%.

The nation's second-largest bank's shares have seen a decrease of 10.49% over the last month, not keeping up with the Finance sector's loss of 4.3% and the S&P 500's loss of 8.26%.

The upcoming earnings release of Bank of America will be of great interest to investors. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $0.80, showcasing a 3.61% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $26.71 billion, indicating a 3.47% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $3.68 per share and revenue of $108.36 billion, indicating changes of +12.2% and +6.36%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Bank of America. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.47% downward. Bank of America is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Digging into valuation, Bank of America currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.33. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 14.46, which means Bank of America is trading at a discount to the group.

Meanwhile, BAC's PEG ratio is currently 1.13. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Financial - Investment Bank industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.05 as of yesterday's close.

The Financial - Investment Bank industry is part of the Finance sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 26, putting it in the top 11% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

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