Best Performing Financial Stocks Last Year

Discover some of the best performing financial stocks over the past year

Sectors & Industries

Over the past year, NU Holdings Ltd. has experienced an impressive 121.64% growth, leading the financial sector's top performers. Bank of America Corporation saw a solid 37.72% increase, while Citigroup Inc. posted a 31.88% gain. Visa Inc. and BlackRock, Inc. achieved growth rates of 17.17% and 16.45%, respectively, and Morgan Stanley rounded out the list with an 11.26% increase.

These companies have demonstrated robust financial performance, showcasing their resilience and strategic positioning in the market.

NU: NU HOLDINGS LTD.

Industry: Banks—Diversified

 

LevelFields - Nu Holdings Company Profile

The events that contributed to the 121.64% over the 12-month period growth of Nu Holdings include:

  • Revenue Growth: Nu Holdings achieved a 64% year-over-year (YoY) increase in revenue to $2.7 billion in Q1 2024, driven by a significant expansion in Brazil and Mexico.
  • Customer Base Growth: Nu Holdings's customer base grew to over 99 million, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29%.
  • Profitability: Nu Holdings reported a substantial increase in net income and adjusted net income, with a 160% YoY increase in net income and a 27% adjusted annualized return on equity (ROE).
  • Earnings Estimate Revisions: Nu Holdings's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate has seen significant revisions, contributing to its strong performance.
  • Valuation: Nu Holdings' valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, are relatively low compared to its near-term earnings growth, indicating potential for investors.

Nu Holdings is the world’s largest digital banking platform outside of Asia, serving over 100 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Nu Holdings has been leading an industry transformation by leveraging data and proprietary technology to develop innovative products and services. Guided by its mission to fight complexity and empower people, Nu Holdings caters to customers’ complete financial journey, promoting financial access and advancement with responsible lending and transparency. Nu Holdings is powered by an efficient and scalable business model that combines low cost to serve with growing returns. Nu Holdings’s impact has been recognized in multiple awards, including Time 100 Companies, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and Forbes World’s Best Banks. Nu Holdings was incorporated in 2016 and is based in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

BAC: BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION

Industry: Banks—Diversified

LevelFields - Bank of America Company Profile

The events that contributed to the 37.72% over the 12 month period growth of Bank of America include:

  • Interest Income: Bank of America's profit surged due to higher interest income from customers' loan payments.
  • Investment Banking: The bank's investment banking fees jumped 35% to $1.6 billion, partially offsetting a decline in interest payments due to slow demand from borrowers.
  • Digital Interactions: Bank of America clients had a record 23.4 billion digital interactions in 2023, indicating increased digital engagement and convenience.
  • Sustainable Growth: The bank's focus on responsible and sustainable growth, including operational excellence, being a great place to work, and sharing success with communities, contributed to its overall growth.
  • Economic Conditions: A resilient U.S. economy, buoyant equities, and a flurry of large deals helped drive growth in investment banking and other areas.

Bank of America Corporation provides a wide range of banking and financial services to individuals, businesses, institutional investors, and governments worldwide. It operates through Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, and Global Markets segments, offering products such as savings and checking accounts, credit cards, loans, investment management, brokerage services, commercial lending, treasury solutions, and market-making services. Serving around 66 million clients, it has approximately 4,300 retail centers, 16,900 ATMs, and 39 million digital banking users. Founded in 1784, Bank of America is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

C: CITIGROUP INC.

Industry: Banks—Diversified

LevelFields - Citigroup Company Profile

The events that contributed to the 31.88% over the 12 month period growth of Citigroup include:

  • Increased Revenues: Citigroup's revenues grew 6% year-over-year, driven by the improvement in fees and increased loan and deposit balances, which more than offset continued spread compression.
  • Growth in Average Deposits and Trade Loans: Average deposits and trade loans grew 8% year-over-year, contributing to the overall revenue growth.
  • Efficiency Savings: Efficiency savings offset incremental investment spending, keeping expenses flat year-over-year.
  • Improved Credit Quality: Provisions for credit losses and benefits and claims decreased 17% year-over-year, reflecting lower net credit losses and higher loan loss reserve releases, which positively impacted net income.
  • Strategic Portfolio Management: Citigroup's strategy of exiting non-core businesses and portfolios, such as Citi Holdings, contributed to the decline in assets and expenses, allowing Citigroup to focus on its core operations.
  • Growth in Lending and Deposit Revenues: Lending and deposit revenues increased 70% year-over-year, driven by gains on hedges as credit spreads widened during the second quarter of 2012.

Citigroup Inc., a global financial services holding company founded in 1812 and headquartered in New York, offers a wide range of financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions across multiple regions including North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through two main segments: Global Consumer Banking, providing traditional retail banking, credit card lending, and investment services, and Institutional Clients Group, offering wholesale banking products such as sales and trading, corporate lending, investment banking, and private banking. As of December 31, 2019, Citigroup operated 2,348 branches primarily in the U.S., Mexico, and Asia.

V: VISA INC.

Industry: Credit Services

LevelFields - Visa Company Profile

The events that contributed to the 17.17% over the 12-month period growth of Visa include:

  • Boost in Transactions and Payment Volumes: Visa's revenue growth and gross margin were driven by an increase in the number of transactions processed and payment volumes.
  • Surge in U.S. Consumer Spending: The recent surge in U.S. consumer spending and the start of the holiday season boosted both domestic and international air travel, contributing to Visa's revenue growth.
  • Growing Popularity of Cryptocurrencies: The growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and their integration into Visa's products are expected to contribute to Visa's financial performance and increase its operating income margin.
  • Strong Balance Sheet and Revenue Growth Rates: Visa's strong balance sheet and relatively high revenue growth rates, including the increase in non-cash transactions worldwide, justify its premium valuation.
  • Launch of AI-Driven Business Services: Visa's launch of AI-driven business services, such as Visa Deep Authorization, Visa Advanced Authorization, Visa Risk Manager, and real-time financial risk assessment services, aimed at minimizing fraud in immediate payments and card-not-present transactions, further enhance its competitive position.
  • Optimistic Forecasts and Revenue Beats: Visa's solid quarterly growth trend and revenue beats of analysts' consensus estimates for the past three years underscore its competitive business and effective strategies under the leadership of Ryan McInerney.

Visa Inc. operates as a payments technology company worldwide. Visa facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among consumers, merchants, financial institutions, businesses, strategic partners, and government entities. It operates VisaNet, a processing network that enables authorization, clearing, and settlement of payment transactions. In addition, Visa offers card products, as well as value-added services. It provides its services under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink, V PAY, and PLUS brands. Visa Inc. has a strategic partnership with NovoPayment to enable financial institutions and merchants to deploy Visa's digital solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean; and a strategic agreement with Intuit Inc. Visa was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

BLK: BLACKROCK, INC.

Industry: Asset Management

LevelFields - BlackRock Company Profile

BlackRock (BLK) saw a 16.45% return over the 12 month period ending in May 2024. A few key events contributed to this strong performance:

  • Organic growth and market changes: BlackRock experienced an approximately 5% increase in revenue in Q3 2023 compared to the prior year, rising to $4.52 billion. Factors contributing to this growth include organic expansion and the impact of market changes during the past year.
  • Heightened technology services revenue: BlackRock saw increased revenue from its technology services business in addition to the organic growth and market impacts.
  • Assets under management (AUM) growth: At the close of Q3 2023, BlackRock's AUM amounted to $9.10 trillion, marking an increase from $7.96 trillion a year prior, although down slightly from Q2 2023. BlackRock reached $10 trillion in AUM by the end of Q4 2023, up 10% from Q3 and 16% year-over-year.
  • Proactive acquisition discussions: BlackRock has been actively involved in acquisition discussions in anticipation that substantial mergers could bolster its growth prospects.
  • Momentum and stability in POWR ratings: BlackRock's POWR Ratings showed strong momentum, stability and sentiment dimensions over the 12 month period, with momentum being the highest rated factor.

BlackRock, Inc. is a global investment manager serving institutional, intermediary, and individual investors, including pension plans, insurance companies, mutual funds, governments, and banks. It offers a range of services such as global risk management, advisory services, and portfolio management across equities, fixed income, real estate, currency, and commodities. BlackRock manages mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, and alternative investment vehicles, utilizing various investment strategies and benchmarking against major indices. Founded in 1988 and based in New York City, BlackRock has offices worldwide including in Boston, London, Gurgaon, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Toronto.

MS: MORGAN STANLEY

Industry: Capital Markets

LevelFields - Morgan Stanley Company Profile

The 11.26% growth of Morgan Stanley over the 12 month period can be attributed to several key events and factors:

  • Strong Q1 Results: Morgan Stanley posted its first quarter results, beating analysts' estimates on both profit and revenue. The bank recorded a 14% increase in Q1 profit compared to the previous year, reaching $3.41 billion, or $2.02 per share. This growth was supported by positive outcomes in each of its three primary business segments, including wealth management, trading, and investment banking, which exceeded expectations.
  • Growth in Wealth Management: Morgan Stanley's wealth management business has been a significant contributor to its growth. The bank's wealth management segment has seen an increase in assets under management, driven by strong investment performance and net inflows.
  • Investment Banking Strength: Morgan Stanley's investment banking division has also performed well, with the bank advising on several high-profile deals and maintaining its position as a leading global investment bank.
  • Diversified Portfolio: Morgan Stanley's diversified portfolio, which includes a mix of stocks from various sectors and industries, has contributed to its overall growth. The bank's portfolio is designed to provide a high level of dividend income along with capital appreciation, which has been achieved through a "buy and hold" strategy with a focus on high-quality dividend stocks.
  • Fundamental Research: Morgan Stanley's investment strategy is based on fundamental research and a focus on secular growth, which has allowed the bank to identify and invest in companies with strong competitive advantages and healthy growth prospects. This approach has been successful in generating long-term returns for the bank's investors.

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company founded in 1924 and headquartered in New York, provides a range of financial products and services globally. It operates through three main segments: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management. The Institutional Securities segment offers capital raising, financial advisory, sales, and trading services. The Wealth Management segment provides brokerage, investment advisory, wealth planning, lending, and banking services. The Investment Management segment delivers investment strategies and products to various institutional clients.

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