Bank of America stock BAC holds near 56 as markets close for the weekend and investors look to Fed minutes, earnings, and year-end trading

Bank of America stock BAC holds near 56 as markets close for the weekend and investors look to Fed minutes, earnings, and year-end trading

NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2025, 10:49 a.m. ET — Market closed

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) is heading into the final stretch of 2025 with its shares sitting near recent highs, while U.S. equity markets remain shut for the weekend. The stock last traded Friday in thin, post-holiday conditions that left Wall Street “catching our breath” after a strong run, as one strategist put it—an environment where low liquidity can exaggerate moves when trading resumes. [1]

Bank of America stock price today

Because the NYSE is closed, Bank of America stock is reflecting its latest completed session. BAC last printed around $56.17, fractionally lower on the day, after trading between roughly the mid-$56.00s and mid-$56.50s, with volume near 15.3 million shares.

Market data services tracking the same post-close snapshot show BAC around $56.17, with a 52-week range that now reaches into the mid-$50s and a dividend yield around 2%. [2]

Why BAC is in focus heading into Monday’s open

The biggest near-term driver for large U.S. banks like Bank of America remains the same trio: interest rates, credit quality, and capital markets activity.

1) The Fed has cut rates — and the next clue comes from Fed minutes

The Federal Reserve cut rates at its December meeting, lowering the target range for the federal funds rate to 3.50%–3.75%. [3]

That matters for Bank of America because rate cuts can work in two directions:

  • They can pressure net interest income if asset yields reset down faster than funding costs.
  • They can also support loan demand and market activity, particularly if volatility and issuance pick up, and if deposit costs cool further.

Investors will be watching for fresh signals on what comes next when minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting arrive in the coming week—one of the headline events on the calendar as markets try to finish 2025 strong. [4]

2) Year-end positioning and the “Santa Claus rally” effect

Friday’s session underscored the current tape: light volume, few catalysts, and indexes near records. Reuters quoted Carson Group chief market strategist Ryan Detrick describing the market as pausing after a strong rally and pointing to the seasonal “Santa Claus rally” window that extends into early January. [5]

For BAC, that backdrop can matter because financials have been part of the broader “rotation” conversation. In Reuters’ week-ahead look, Anthony Saglimbene (chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial) pointed to investors rotating into areas with more moderate valuations, including financials, while Paul Nolte (Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management) said momentum remained with the bulls absent an external shock. [6]

The dividend catalyst investors just passed

One tangible, company-specific event is now in the rearview mirror: Bank of America’s board-declared regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.28 per share, which was payable Dec. 26, 2025 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 5, according to the company. [7]

For investors who hold BAC primarily for total return, that payout—and the bank’s ongoing buyback authorization—remain central parts of the story.

Buybacks and capital return remain a key plank of the bull case

Bank of America previously authorized a $40 billion common stock repurchase program, alongside the move to a $0.28 quarterly dividend level. [8]

In addition, CEO Brian Moynihan has said the bank expected to buy back more stock in the fourth quarter, while also anticipating markets-business revenue growth in the high single digits to about 10% for the period—comments that continue to shape expectations as investors look ahead to earnings. [9]

What to watch in Bank of America earnings next

Bank of America’s next major scheduled catalyst is its fourth-quarter report.

The company has announced that it plans to report fourth-quarter 2025 results on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. [10]

Going into that release, investors will typically focus on:

  • Net interest income and net interest margin sensitivity to further rate changes
  • Consumer credit trends (delinquencies/charge-offs) and reserve positioning
  • Investment banking and trading momentum into year-end
  • Expense discipline and technology spend (including productivity initiatives)
  • Capital return pace, including the buyback run-rate under the $40B authorization

The latest fundamentals investors are anchoring to

Bank of America’s investor relations dashboard highlights that in Q3 2025 the bank reported:

  • $28.1B revenue (net of interest expense)
  • $8.5B net income
  • $1.06 diluted EPS
  • 15.4% return on tangible common equity [11]

That set of metrics—especially ROTCE and the direction of revenue versus expenses—is a big part of why BAC has been able to sustain a dividend and buybacks while keeping investors engaged into year-end.

Wall Street outlook and analyst forecasts for BAC

Analyst targets vary by firm, but widely followed market-data summaries currently peg Bank of America’s average 12‑month price target in the high-$50s to around $60, with a high estimate near $68 and a low estimate near $51, and an overall “buy”-leaning stance. [12]

Separately, recent investor commentary has argued both sides of the near-term rate debate:

  • One camp believes the net-interest-income trough could be near, helping BAC if funding costs ease and loan growth steadies. [13]
  • The other camp emphasizes that additional easing can still compress spreads, meaning BAC may need stronger fee growth (markets/wealth/investment banking) to offset it. [14]

If you’re investing in BAC, here’s what to know before the next session

With markets closed today, investors thinking about BAC into Monday’s open (and the final trading days of 2025) will want to keep an eye on three practical factors:

  1. Liquidity can be thin during the year-end window, which can magnify moves in bank stocks even without major company headlines. [15]
  2. Rates headlines remain the swing factor, with investors laser-focused on how many cuts (if any) are coming in 2026—and Fed minutes next week could move Treasury yields and bank sentiment quickly. [16]
  3. Calendar awareness matters: U.S. stock markets will be closed on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, 2026), and traders are approaching the last few sessions with that holiday cadence in mind. [17]

Bottom line

Bank of America stock enters the weekend near the mid‑$50s after a quiet post-holiday session, with investors balancing a supportive year-end tape against the crosscurrents of a newly lower Fed policy rate. The next high-impact checkpoints for BAC are macro-driven—Fed messaging and rates—followed by the company’s Jan. 14 earnings report, when guidance on net interest income, credit, and capital return will likely decide whether the stock can break higher or consolidates after its 2025 run. [18]

References

1. www.reuters.com, 2. www.investing.com, 3. www.federalreserve.gov, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. newsroom.bankofamerica.com, 8. newsroom.bankofamerica.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. newsroom.bankofamerica.com, 11. investor.bankofamerica.com, 12. www.investing.com, 13. seekingalpha.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.investopedia.com, 18. www.reuters.com

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