Board of Directors Approves Repurchase of up to $4.2 Billion of Common Stock and Increases the Quarterly Common Stock Dividend 20% to $0.60 Per Share

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS):

First Quarter 2022 Results

 

 

2022

2021

YOY Change

Total loans, end of period (in billions)

$93.5

$86.3

8%

Total revenue net of interest expense (in millions)

$2,902

$2,795

4%

Total net charge-off rate

1.61%

2.48%

(87) bps

Net income/(loss) (in millions)

$1,242

$1,593

(22)%

Diluted EPS

$4.22

$5.04

(16%)

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) today reported net income of $1.2 billion or $4.22 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2022, as compared to a net income of $1.6 billion or $5.04 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2021.

“The first quarter of this year included a devastating war in Ukraine, record high inflation, and shifting monetary policy expectations,” said Roger Hochschild, CEO and President of Discover. “Notwithstanding, we continue to execute against our business priorities, evidenced by our accelerating loan growth and continued strong credit performance, while investing in profitable growth. Earlier this month, we launched our refreshed Cashback Debit product, which showcases how we’re innovating to meet our customers’ needs in a manner consistent with our brand promise around rewards, no fees, strong service and product transparency.”

Segment Results:

Digital Banking

Digital Banking pretax income of $1.7 billion for the quarter was $308 million lower than the prior year period reflecting a higher provision for credit losses and higher operating expenses, partially offset by increased revenue net of interest expense.

Total loans ended the quarter at $93.5 billion, up 8% year-over-year, and flat sequentially. Credit card loans ended the quarter at $73.8 billion, up 10% year-over-year. Personal loans decreased $57 million, or 1%, and private student loans increased $161 million, or 2%, year-over-year. The organic student loan portfolio, which excludes purchased loans, increased $360 million, or 4% from the prior year period.

Net interest income for the quarter increased $149 million, or 6%, from the prior year period, driven by higher average receivables, favorable funding costs and lower interest charge-offs, partially offset by a lower credit card revolving loan balance as payment rates remained elevated. Net interest margin was 10.85%, up 10 basis points versus the prior year. Card yield was 12.59%, down 12 basis points from the prior year primarily driven by a higher mix of receivables at a promotional rate and the impact of a high payment rate on revolving loan balances, partially offset by lower interest charge-offs. Interest expense as a percent of total loans decreased 33 basis points from the prior year period, primarily driven by the maturity of high coupon consumer CDs and a favorable shift in the funding mix.

Non-interest income increased $107 million, or 28%, from the prior year period, mainly driven by higher discount/interchange revenue and loan fee income partially offset by higher rewards cost, which reflected elevated sales volumes.

The total net charge-off rate of 1.61% was 87 basis points lower versus the prior year period reflecting strong credit performance across the portfolio. The credit card net charge-off rate was 1.84%, down 96 basis points from the prior year period and up 34 basis points from the prior quarter. The 30+ day delinquency rate for credit card loans was 1.77%, down 8 basis points year-over year and up 11 basis points from the prior quarter. The student loan net charge-off rate was 0.69%, up 16 basis points from the prior year and down 11 basis points from the prior quarter. Personal loans net charge-off rate of 1.12% was down 168 basis points from the prior year and down 9 basis point from the prior quarter.

Provision for credit losses of $154 million increased $519 million from the prior year driven by a higher reserve release in the prior year quarter, partially offset by lower net charge-offs. The first quarter of 2022 included a $175 million reserve release compared to an $879 million reserve release in the first quarter of 2021. Net charge-offs of $368 million were $169 million lower than the prior year period.

Total operating expenses were up $45 million year-over year, or 4%, driven by higher expenses for marketing and information processing.

Payment Services

Payment Services pretax loss of $101 million was down $153 million year-over-year. Lower revenue was driven by a $162MM net loss on equity investments. This was partially offset by higher PULSE and Network Partners revenue.

Payment Services volume was $77.7 billion, up 2% year-over-year. PULSE dollar volume was down 1% year-over-year primarily driven by receding spend on debit products related to the end of federal stimulus programs. Diners Club volume was up 22% year-over-year reflecting a rebound from the impacts of the pandemic. Network Partners volume increased 11% from the prior year primarily reflecting higher AribaPay volume.

Share Repurchase

During the first quarter of 2022, the company repurchased approximately 8.0 million shares of common stock for $944 million. Shares of common stock outstanding declined by 2.6% from the prior quarter.

The Board of Directors has approved a new $4.2 billion share repurchase program. The new share repurchase program spans five quarters through June 30, 2023, replaces the prior program, and may be terminated at any time. The company expects to make share repurchases from time to time subject to the company’s capital plan, market conditions and other factors, including legal and regulatory restrictions and required approvals.

Dividend Declaration

The Board of Directors increased the quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.60 per share, and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.60 per share of common stock payable on June 9, 2022, to holders of record at the close of business on May 26, 2022.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

The company will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter results on Thursday, April 28, 2022, at 7:00 a.m. Central Time. Interested parties can listen to the conference call via a live audio webcast at https://investorrelations.discover.com.

About Discover

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.

A financial summary follows. Financial, statistical, and business related information, as well as information regarding business and segment trends, is included in the financial supplement filed as Exhibit 99.2 to the company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Both the earnings release and the financial supplement are available online at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov) and the company's website (https://investorrelations.discover.com).

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements, which speak to our expected business and financial performance, among other matters, contain words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “aim,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “likely,” and similar expressions. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and there is no undertaking to update or revise them as more information becomes available.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and measures taken to mitigate the pandemic, including their impact on our credit quality and business operations as well as their impact on general economic and financial markets; changes in economic variables, such as the availability of consumer credit, the housing market, energy costs, the number and size of personal bankruptcy filings, the rate of unemployment, the levels of consumer confidence and consumer debt, and investor sentiment; the impact of current, pending and future legislation, regulation, supervisory guidance, and regulatory and legal actions, including, but not limited to, those related to accounting guidance, tax reform, financial regulatory reform, consumer financial services practices, anti-corruption and funding, capital and liquidity; the actions and initiatives of current and potential competitors; the company's ability to manage its expenses; the company's ability to successfully achieve card acceptance across its networks and maintain relationships with network participants and merchants; the company's ability to sustain its card, private student loan and personal loan growth; the company’s ability to increase or sustain Discover card usage or attract new customers; difficulty obtaining regulatory approval for, financing, closing, transitioning, integrating or managing the expenses of acquisitions of or investments in new businesses, products or technologies; the company's ability to manage its credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk, compliance and legal risk, and strategic risk; the availability and cost of funding and capital; access to deposit, securitization, equity, debt and credit markets; the impact of rating agency actions; the level and volatility of equity prices, commodity prices and interest rates, currency values, investments, other market fluctuations and other market indices; losses in the company's investment portfolio; limits on the company's ability to pay dividends and repurchase its common stock; limits on the company's ability to receive payments from its subsidiaries; fraudulent activities or material security breaches of its or others’ key systems; the company's ability to remain organizationally effective; the effect of political, economic and market conditions, geopolitical events, climate change and unforeseen or catastrophic events; the company's ability to introduce new products or services; the company's ability to manage its relationships with third-party vendors, as well as those which we have no direct relationship such as our employees’ internet service providers; the company's ability to maintain current technology and integrate new and acquired systems and technology; the company's ability to collect amounts for disputed transactions from merchants and merchant acquirers; the company's ability to attract and retain employees; the company's ability to protect its reputation and its intellectual property; the company’s ability to comply with regulatory requirements; and new lawsuits, investigations or similar matters or unanticipated developments related to current matters. The company routinely evaluates and may pursue acquisitions of or investments in businesses, products, technologies, loan portfolios or deposits, which may involve payment in cash or the company's debt or equity securities.

Additional factors that could cause the company's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found under “Risk Factors,” “Business - Competition,” “Business - Supervision and Regulation” and “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's internet site (http://www.sec.gov) and subsequent reports on Forms 8-K and 10-Q, including the company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed today with the SEC.

DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES (unaudited, in millions, except per share statistics) Quarter Ended March 31,2022 December 31,2021 March 31,2021 EARNINGS SUMMARY Interest Income

$2,736

 

$2,742

 

$2,646

 

Interest Expense

257

 

259

 

316

 

Net Interest Income

2,479

 

2,483

 

2,330

 

  Discount/Interchange Revenue

955

 

1,042

 

766

 

Rewards Cost

635

 

697

 

525

 

Discount and Interchange Revenue, net

320

 

345

 

241

 

Protection Products Revenue

44

 

36

 

43

 

Loan Fee Income

140

 

131

 

107

 

Transaction Processing Revenue

57

 

60

 

51

 

Unrealized Gains/(Losses) on Equity Investments

(188

)

(139

)

0

 

Realized Gains/(Losses) on Equity Investments

26

 

1

 

0

 

Other Income

24

 

19

 

23

 

Total Non-Interest Income

423

 

453

 

465

 

  Revenue Net of Interest Expense

2,902

 

2,936

 

2,795

 

  Provision for Credit Losses

154

 

263

 

(365

)

  Employee Compensation and Benefits

500

 

499

 

506

 

Marketing and Business Development

192

 

271

 

154

 

Information Processing & Communications

125

 

125

 

109

 

Professional Fees

177

 

230

 

182

 

Premises and Equipment

24

 

23

 

24

 

Other Expense

112

 

164

 

106

 

Total Operating Expense

1,130

 

1,312

 

1,081

 

  Income/(Loss) Before Income Taxes

1,618

 

1,361

 

2,079

 

Tax Expense

376

 

294

 

486

 

Net Income/(Loss)

$1,242

 

$1,067

 

$1,593

 

  Net Income/(Loss) Allocated to Common Stockholders

$1,205

 

$1,062

 

$1,546

 

    PER SHARE STATISTICS Basic EPS

$4.23

 

$3.64

 

$5.04

 

Diluted EPS

$4.22

 

$3.64

 

$5.04

 

Common Stock Price (period end)

$110.19

 

$115.56

 

$94.99

 

Book Value per share

$47.81

 

$46.50

 

$39.72

 

  BALANCE SHEET SUMMARY Total Assets

$107,412

 

$110,242

 

$113,871

 

Total Liabilities

93,979

 

96,834

 

101,717

 

Total Equity

13,433

 

13,408

 

12,154

 

Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

$107,412

 

$110,242

 

$113,871

 

  TOTAL LOAN RECEIVABLES Ending Loans 1

$93,471

 

$93,684

 

$86,347

 

Average Loans 1

$92,691

 

$91,095

 

$87,905

 

  Interest Yield

11.80

%

11.75

%

11.96

%

Gross Principal Charge-off Rate

2.64

%

2.36

%

3.45

%

Net Principal Charge-off Rate

1.61

%

1.37

%

2.48

%

Delinquency Rate (30 or more days)

1.64

%

1.55

%

1.67

%

Delinquency Rate (90 or more days)

0.72

%

0.66

%

0.85

%

Gross Principal Charge-off Dollars

$603

 

$543

 

$747

 

Net Principal Charge-off Dollars

$368

 

$313

 

$537

 

Net Interest and Fee Charge-off Dollars

$87

 

$70

 

$118

 

Loans Delinquent 30 or more days

$1,537

 

$1,451

 

$1,438

 

Loans Delinquent 90 or more days

$678

 

$618

 

$732

 

  Allowance for Credit Losses (period end)

$6,647

 

$6,822

 

$7,347

 

Reserve Change Build/(Release) 2

($175

)

($39

)

($879

)

Reserve Rate

7.11

%

7.28

%

8.51

%

  CREDIT CARD LOANS Ending Loans

$73,783

 

$74,369

 

$67,304

 

Average Loans

$73,042

 

$71,865

 

$68,723

 

  Interest Yield

12.59

%

12.50

%

12.71

%

Gross Principal Charge-off Rate

3.00

%

2.63

%

3.91

%

Net Principal Charge-off Rate

1.84

%

1.50

%

2.80

%

Delinquency Rate (30 or more days)

1.77

%

1.66

%

1.85

%

Delinquency Rate (90 or more days)

0.83

%

0.76

%

1.01

%

Gross Principal Charge-off Dollars

$541

 

$477

 

$663

 

Net Principal Charge-off Dollars

$331

 

$272

 

$474

 

Loans Delinquent 30 or more days

$1,305

 

$1,232

 

$1,245

 

Loans Delinquent 90 or more days

$613

 

$562

 

$680

 

  Allowance for Credit Losses (period end)

$5,120

 

$5,273

 

$5,640

 

Reserve Change Build/(Release)

($153

)

($25

)

($851

)

Reserve Rate

6.94

%

7.09

%

8.38

%

  Total Discover Card Volume

$49,379

 

$53,983

 

$40,334

 

Discover Card Sales Volume

$46,329

 

$51,308

 

$37,744

 

Rewards Rate

1.36

%

1.35

%

1.38

%

  SEGMENT- INCOME/(LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES Digital Banking

$1,719

 

$1,458

 

$2,027

 

Payment Services

(101

)

(97

)

52

 

Total

$1,618

 

$1,361

 

$2,079

 

  NETWORK VOLUME PULSE Network

$59,836

 

$64,787

 

$60,399

 

Network Partners

10,683

 

11,233

 

9,629

 

Diners Club International 3

7,176

 

7,367

 

5,897

 

Total Payment Services

77,695

 

83,387

 

75,925

 

Discover Network - Proprietary

48,129

 

53,197

 

39,202

 

Total

$125,824

 

$136,584

 

$115,127

 

    1 Total Loans includes Home Equity and other loans.   2 Excludes any build/release of the liability for expected credit losses on unfunded commitments as the offset is recorded in accrued expenses and other liabilities in the Company's condensed consolidated statements of financial condition   3 Volume is derived from data provided by licencees for Diners Club branded cards issued outside of North America and is subject to subsequent revision or amendment   Note: See Glossary for definitions of financial terms in the financial supplement which is available online at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov) and the Company's website (http://investorrelations.discoverfinancial.com).

 

Investors: Eric Wasserstrom, 224-405-4555 investorrelations@discover.com

Media: Jon Drummond, 224-405-1888 jondrummond@discover.com

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