Discover Deal Boosts COF's Q2 Earnings, Consumer Spending in Focus

Core Insights - Capital One (COF) reported better-than-expected second-quarter results, driven by the acquisition of Discover Financial Services, which closed on May 18 [1][2] - Adjusted earnings per share reached $5.48, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.83, and increased by 35% from the previous quarter [1][10] - Total net revenues rose by 25% to $12.49 billion, surpassing the consensus estimate of $12.22 billion [1][10] Financial Performance - The acquisition of Discover positioned COF as the largest U.S. credit card issuer by balances, acquiring $98.3 billion in domestic card loans and $9.9 billion in personal loans [3] - COF's credit card loan portfolio increased by 72% sequentially to $269.7 billion, reflecting strong demand for credit card loans [3] - Net interest income (NII) improved by 25% from the prior quarter to $10 billion, with net interest margin (NIM) expanding by 69 basis points to 7.62% [4] - Purchase volume on Capital One credit cards surged by 28% sequentially to $201.5 billion, including $26.5 billion from Discover [5][10] - Non-interest income increased by 26% to $2.5 billion, driven by higher card spending [6] Costs and Losses - The company established an initial allowance of $8.8 billion following the Discover acquisition, leading to a significant increase in provisions for credit losses to $11.4 billion [7] - Non-interest expenses rose by 18% to $6.99 billion, influenced by acquisition-related charges [8] - Despite strong revenue growth, COF reported a net loss of $4.28 billion in the second quarter, compared to a net income of $1.4 billion in the prior quarter due to one-time charges [9] Strategic Outlook - CEO Richard Fairbank expressed optimism about the Discover acquisition, highlighting its potential for earnings power and strategic alignment [11] - The company is on track to achieve $2.5 billion in total net synergies from the integration, although integration charges are expected to exceed $2.8 billion [11] - Continued investments in technology, data, and artificial intelligence are expected to support the combined company's earnings potential and strategic opportunities in payments and global network expansion [12]