First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $7.03 EPS

First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) posted its earnings results on Friday. The bank reported $51.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $44.24 by $7.03, FiscalAI reports. First Citizens BancShares had a return on equity of 11.09% and a net margin of 15.99%.The business had revenue of $2.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion.

First Citizens BancShares Trading Down 8.5%

FCNCA opened at $2,016.56 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $2,058.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,953.67. First Citizens BancShares has a fifty-two week low of $1,473.62 and a fifty-two week high of $2,412.93. The company has a market cap of $25.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

First Citizens BancShares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. First Citizens BancShares’s payout ratio is 4.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FCNCA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded First Citizens BancShares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $2,300.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen cut First Citizens BancShares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, September 28th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of First Citizens BancShares from $2,000.00 to $2,050.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of First Citizens BancShares from $2,000.00 to $2,250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of First Citizens BancShares from $2,100.00 to $2,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $2,250.55.

Key Stories Impacting First Citizens BancShares

Here are the key news stories impacting First Citizens BancShares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — FCNCA reported $51.27 EPS vs. consensus ~ $44 and revenue of $2.25B vs. ~$2.24B, showing solid near?term profitability and margins. Q4 Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $2.10 quarterly dividend (record Feb 27; pay Mar 16), supporting income investors despite a modest yield (~0.4%). Dividend Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript and presentation are available for additional detail on loan trends, NII drivers, and management commentary (useful for investors parsing guidance vs. results). Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Management issued a downbeat full?year interest?income forecast that came in below Street expectations — that guidance drove the immediate negative reaction as net interest income is a primary earnings driver for banks. Reuters: Downbeat Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts highlighted rising margin pressure and some firms have downgraded or flagged the shares after the guidance, increasing selling pressure. Seeking Alpha: Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: volume spiked and the share price fell as investors re?priced the stock for a weaker NII outlook despite the beat — watch upcoming guidance details and 2026 NII sensitivity. MarketBeat Trading Snapshot

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Citizens BancShares news, Director Ellen R. Alemany bought 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1,000.00 per share, with a total value of $300,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,000. The trade was a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Frank B. Holding, Jr. purchased 135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,629.67 per share, for a total transaction of $220,005.45. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 2,527 shares in the company, valued at $4,118,176.09. This trade represents a 5.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 13.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Citizens BancShares

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FCNCA. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in First Citizens BancShares by 1.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 37,389 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $69,324,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Citizens BancShares by 71.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 392 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $727,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of First Citizens BancShares by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 241 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of First Citizens BancShares by 31.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 88 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in First Citizens BancShares during the 2nd quarter worth $260,000. 78.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Citizens BancShares Company Profile

First Citizens BancShares, Inc is the bank holding company for First Citizens Bank, a full?service commercial bank headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company traces its roots to a community bank founded in 1898 and has grown into a diversified financial services organization that operates through its banking subsidiary to serve retail, commercial and institutional clients.

First Citizens offers a broad suite of banking products and services, including consumer and business deposit accounts, commercial and industrial lending, real estate and mortgage lending, treasury and cash management, and specialized lending solutions.