New York, Jan 15, 2026, 19:13 EST — After-hours.
- Wells Fargo shares eased 0.3% to $88.96 in after-hours trading.
- The stock is still reeling from a 4.6% drop after the bank’s quarterly update and 2026 interest-income outlook.
- Traders are watching Washington’s proposed credit-card rate cap and next week’s packed earnings calendar.
Wells Fargo & Company shares eased 0.3% to $88.96 in after-hours trading on Thursday, after moving between $88.38 and $89.83 in the regular session.
The fourth-largest U.S. lender missed analysts’ profit estimates on Wednesday after booking $612 million in severance costs, and it forecast about $50 billion of net interest income for 2026—below the $50.33 billion average estimate—while projecting mid-to-single-digit loan growth as it pushes new credit card products and artificial-intelligence investments. Net interest income, the spread between what a bank earns on loans and pays on deposits, rose 4% to $12.33 billion in the quarter but missed expectations of $12.46 billion, LSEG data showed, and the stock slid 4.6% to $89.25. “Costs are under control and loan quality remains high,” said Brian Mulberry of Zacks Investment Management, and CEO Charlie Scharf told analysts, “The economy and our customers remain resilient.” Reuters
The pullback has landed on a skittish tape for financials. The S&P 500 bank index fell on Wednesday, with Citigroup and Bank of America also down despite beating profit estimates, and investors pinned some of the pressure on President Donald Trump’s proposed 10% cap on credit-card interest rates. “After a nice run… you’re seeing profit-taking and consolidation” in the banks, said Michael O’Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading. Reuters
In a Jan. 14 filing, Wells Fargo reported fourth-quarter net income of $5.4 billion, or $1.62 per share, on revenue of $21.29 billion. The bank said it repurchased $5.0 billion of common stock in the quarter and set a new medium-term goal of 17%-18% return on tangible common equity—a profitability gauge that strips out goodwill and other intangibles.
Investors are now trying to square that target with a softer interest-income run rate and a policy overhang that the industry says could hit consumer lending. Wells Fargo also has to show that balance-sheet growth comes with tighter execution, after years of restraint under regulators.
Chief Financial Officer Mike Santomassimo told reporters the pace of loan growth had “picked up for the first time in a while” and signaled more job cuts after the bank set aside the severance charge. Peter Torrente, KPMG’s U.S. banking sector leader, said lenders heading into 2026 would stay “laser-focused” on managing risks even as they chase growth. Reuters
Thursday’s small move, after Wednesday’s sharp selloff, left the stock in wait-and-see mode. Traders will be watching whether buyers step back in, or whether the next leg comes from rates and policy headlines rather than bank-specific news.
But credit costs remain the swing factor if the economy cools or pockets of stress deepen. Wells Fargo’s quarterly supplement showed commercial real estate net loan charge-offs of $158 million in the fourth quarter, while credit card charge-offs were $583 million and the 30-day delinquency rate stood at 2.80%.
Looking ahead, U.S. markets are shut on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and the earnings calendar ramps up after that. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on Jan. 21 over Trump’s attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook—an event investors say could put Fed independence, and rate expectations that steer bank earnings, back in the spotlight.
