WELLS FARGO (WFC, Financial) is the fourth largest bank in the country with assets of $1.4 trillion at year-end 2013. The company generated operating revenues of $83.8 billion in 2013 with net income of $21.9 billion and reported earnings of $3.89 per share.
The company is a diversified financial services company operating in a broad range of markets including the east and west coasts of our country, as well as several business segments including, banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and commercial and consumer finance through over 9,000 locations, 12,000 ATM’s and the Internet. Wells Fargo, like US Bancorp, also generates significant fee revenues providing a more stable and recurring revenue stream less impacted by the declining interest rates that have negatively impacted net interest margins over the past few years. In 2013, the company generated net interest income after the provision for credit losses of $40.5 billion while generating fee revenue of $41 billion. Net income for 2013 was $21.9 billion or $3.89 per diluted share.
We believe that Wells Fargo’s diverse business model will continue to thrive in various economic environments and will benefit when interest rates rise, augmenting the net interest margin to once again exceed 4%; a level it has fallen below over the past several quarters. Nevertheless, Wells Fargo remains an outstanding financial services company generating a return on tangible common equity of 17%, and a return on assets of 1.4%. The company also maintains leadership positions in several businesses including a leading originator and servicer of mortgages. In fact, the company originates one of every three mortgages in this country.
Over the next several years in a more normalized interest rate environment, we believe that Wells Fargo can generate in excess of $5 per diluted share in earning power. We estimate the company can earn in excess of $3.55 in 2014 and $3.80 in 2015.
