Don’t Let Bank of America’s Growth in 2013 Fool You (MSN)
Shares of Bank of America (BAC) were up 2.27 percent yesterday on news that its earnings report would show bottom-line strength in year-over-year performance. However, that stat is a little misleading, as the prior year’s Q4 revenue was pretty weak and easy to beat. And even though BAC added to its deposit base, that move shouldn’t make long-term investors swoon over a potential big pay day. Jason Moser of Motley Fool points to the bank’s anemic yield (just 0.2 percent) and the fact that there will be downward pressure on the stock price as the company automates to keep pace with the industry — and thereby will face a re-pricing dilemma, as well. If you’re looking to play the resurgent U.S. banking industry, take a look at Wells Fargo (WFC), which just supplanted JPMorgan Chase as the country’s most profitable bank, based on its net income growth last year of 16 percent.
