Wells Fargo shares fall on lower net interest income, CEO calls for ‘timely’ trade resolution

Wells Fargo shares declined on Friday after the bank reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue and a decline in net interest income.

Here’s what the bank reported for the first quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

• Adjusted earnings per share: $1.39, 16% higher year over year and beating the $1.24 estimate.
• Revenue: $20.15 billion versus $20.75 billion expected

Shares of Wells Fargo fell 4% in morning trading after the results.

Net interest income, a key measure of what a bank makes on loans, fell 6% year over year to $11.50 billion. Non-interest income, which includes investment banking fees, brokerage commissions and advisory fees, rose 1% to $8.65 billion from last year’s $8.54 billion.

CEO Charlie Scharf highlighted the uncertainty in the economy brought on by the Trump administration’s actions to reorient global trade, calling for a timely resolution.

“We support the administration’s willingness to look at barriers to fair trade for the United States, though there are certainly risks associated with such significant actions,” Scharf said in a statement. “Timely resolution which benefits the U.S. would be good for businesses, consumers, and the markets. We expect continued volatility and uncertainty and are prepared for a slower economic environment in 2025, but the actual outcome will be dependent on the results and timing of the policy changes.”

Wells Fargo bought back 44.5 million of its own shares, worth $3.5 billion, in first quarter.

The San Francisco-based lender set aside $932 million as provision for credit losses, which included a decrease in the allowance for credit losses.