Investing.com -- Banco Bilbao (NYSE:BBVA) Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BME:BBVA) reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, with solid profit growth in Spain and resilient capital levels helping lift the stock more than 1%, despite softer core revenue in Mexico and a miss in Turkey.
The Spanish lender posted a net profit of €2.7 billion for the quarter, up 23% from a year earlier and 11% above analyst expectations.
Pre-tax profit was 14% above consensus, supported by lower impairments, higher trading and net interest income. Revenue came in at €9.32 billion, about 3% above expectations.
Spain was the standout, contributing €1.02 billion in net profit, 44% higher year over year and 17% ahead of estimates.
Analysts pointed to stronger trading income and potential support from the Spanish banking tax. Fees and lending income were also better than expected, while costs and provisions came in lower.
In Mexico, which remains BBVA’s largest profit contributor, net income rose to €1.33 billion. While slightly ahead of consensus, core revenues came in below forecasts, with net interest income and fees underperforming.
The shortfall was offset by a strong trading result and lower loan loss provisions, according to analysts.
Turkey, which accounts for a smaller share of group earnings, missed expectations. Net profit fell 11% from the previous quarter to €158 million, well below consensus.
The result was weighed by weaker trading and higher taxes and provisions, though net interest income outperformed.
Group operating costs rose 14% from a year earlier in constant currency terms, below the average inflation rate across BBVA’s key markets.
Cost discipline helped widen the operating jaws, the gap between revenue and expense growth, by 14 percentage points.
The group’s cost of risk, a measure of credit quality, improved to 130 basis points, compared with 139 basis points a year earlier. That was better than the 146 basis points forecasted by analysts.
BBVA’s fully loaded Common Equity Tier 1 ratio rose to 13.09%, up 21 basis points from the previous quarter.
The bank remains well above its 11.5% to 12% target range. Tangible book value per share slipped 1% to €9.14, slightly missing expectations.
Total customer funds rose 2% in the quarter, driven by higher deposits and off-balance sheet assets such as mutual and pension funds.
The company maintained its full-year guidance, including a cost-to-income ratio around 40% and a return on tangible equity in the high teens. The CET1 capital ratio target also remains unchanged.