First Bank(US:FRBA) ZACKSยท2025-01-23 23:46Group 1: Earnings Performance - First Bank reported quarterly earnings of $0.42 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.39 per share, but down from $0.49 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of 7.69% [1] - The company posted revenues of $33.77 million for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.15%, compared to year-ago revenues of $28 million [2] - Over the last four quarters, First Bank has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times, but has topped consensus revenue estimates only once [2] Group 2: Stock Performance and Outlook - First Bank shares have declined approximately 2.3% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 3.5% [3] - The company's earnings outlook is crucial for investors, as it includes current consensus earnings expectations for upcoming quarters and any recent changes to these expectations [4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.39 on revenues of $33.19 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $1.64 on revenues of $137.59 million [7] Group 3: Industry Context - The Zacks Industry Rank indicates that the Banks - Northeast sector is currently in the top 20% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a favorable environment for performance [8] - Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can be tracked by investors [5] - The estimate revisions trend for First Bank is currently unfavorable, resulting in a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell) for the stock, indicating expected underperformance in the near future [6]