Should Investors Buy Capital One Stock After Crushing Q2 EPS Expectations?

Core Insights - Capital One has significantly outperformed expectations in Q2 earnings, setting a high standard for competitors like Visa and Mastercard [1][3][4] Financial Performance - Q2 sales increased by 31% to $12.49 billion, surpassing estimates of $12.22 billion [4] - Q2 earnings per share (EPS) rose 74% to $5.48, exceeding the Zacks EPS Consensus of $3.83 by 43% [4][6] - Capital One has achieved an average earnings surprise of 23.02% over the last four quarters [4][6] Acquisition Impact - The acquisition of Discover Financial Services contributed $2 billion in revenue during Q2 and expanded Capital One's credit card and payment networks [3] - Capital One acquired $98.3 billion in domestic card loans and $9.9 billion in personal loans from Discover, along with $106.7 billion in deposits [9] Future Outlook - Capital One reaffirmed its full-year fiscal 2025 outlook, expecting revenue to rise 36% to $53.29 billion, above the Zacks Consensus of $52.3 billion [10] - Annual earnings are projected to increase by 9% to $15.25 per share, although this is below previous expectations of $15.51 [10] Valuation Metrics - Capital One trades at 14X forward earnings, significantly lower than the S&P 500's 24X and Visa and Mastercard's multiples of 30X and 34X, respectively [11] - The stock also trades under 2X forward sales, compared to Visa and Mastercard's over 17X [11] Investment Considerations - Despite not raising its full-year guidance, the reaffirmation of outlook indicates the positive impact of the Discover acquisition [13] - Future upside may depend on positive earnings estimate revisions for FY26, as FY25 EPS estimates are expected to decline [14]