Truist Shares Rise 2% Despite Earnings Miss on One-Time Charges

Core Viewpoint - Truist Financial's fourth-quarter earnings fell short of analyst expectations, yet the company's shares rose approximately 2% intra-day, indicating market resilience despite disappointing results [1]. Financial Performance - Truist reported a net income available to common shareholders of $1.29 billion, equating to $1.00 per diluted share, which missed estimates of $1.09 per share [2]. - The bank's revenue totaled $5.25 billion, below the consensus forecast of $5.31 billion [2]. - The results were negatively impacted by a $130 million legal accrual and $63 million in severance costs, which collectively reduced earnings by $0.12 per share [2]. Underlying Trends - Despite the headline miss, the bank reported improving underlying trends, with net interest income increasing by 1.9% sequentially to $3.75 billion [3]. - The net interest margin expanded by six basis points to 3.07% [3]. - Average loans held for investment grew by $4.3 billion, or 1.3%, reflecting broad-based loan growth [3]. - Compared to the year-ago period, revenue rose by 5.2% from $5.06 billion [3].