Discover Financial Services(US:DFS) ZACKS·2025-04-24 18:00Core Viewpoint - Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported strong first-quarter 2025 results, with adjusted earnings per share of $4.25, exceeding estimates by 28.8% and showing a 31% year-over-year increase [1] Financial Performance - Revenues, net of interest expenses, reached $4.3 billion, a 2% year-over-year increase, surpassing the consensus estimate by 0.7% [1] - Interest income decreased by 3% year over year to $4.8 billion, missing the estimate of $5 billion, while interest expense fell 15% year over year to $1.2 billion, lower than the estimate of $1.4 billion [3] - Non-interest income grew by 3% year over year to $693 million, beating the consensus estimate of $691.2 million but falling short of the estimate of $708.1 million [3] - Total operating expenses were $1.6 billion, up 1% year over year, but lower than the estimate of $1.8 billion [4] - Net income climbed 30% year over year to $1.1 billion [4] Segment Performance Digital Banking - Pretax income in the Digital Banking segment increased by 30% year over year to $1.4 billion, exceeding both the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion and the estimate of $1.04 billion [5] - Provision for credit losses decreased by 17% year over year to $1.2 billion [5] - Total loans decreased by 7% year over year to $117.4 billion, with net interest income increasing by 2% year over year to $3.56 billion [6] Payment Services - The Payment Services segment reported a pretax income of $91 million, an 11% year-over-year increase, surpassing the consensus estimate of $83.5 million but missing the estimate of $99 million [7] - Payment Services volume declined by 4% year over year to $96 billion, with PULSE dollar volume growing by 3% and Diners Club volume advancing by 18% [8] Financial Position - As of March 31, 2025, total assets were $147.9 billion, a 0.2% increase from the end of 2024 [9] - The liquidity portfolio amounted to $30.2 billion, improving by 10.7% from December 31, 2024 [9] - Total liabilities decreased by 0.6% to $129 billion, while total equity increased by 5.8% to $19 billion [10] Merger and Dividend Update - Capital One Financial Corporation secured regulatory approvals for its merger with DFS, expected to close around May 18, 2025 [11] - A quarterly cash dividend of 70 cents per share was sanctioned, payable on June 5, 2025, but DFS shareholders may not receive this dividend due to the merger [11] 2025 Guidance - Management anticipates loan growth to follow pre-pandemic trends, with net interest margin expected to remain consistent with the fourth-quarter 2024 level of 11.96% [12]