KeyCorp Fourth-Quarter Results Top Expectations

By Joshua Jamerson 

Regional lender KeyCorp on Wednesday said revenue climbed again in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to its recent acquisition of First Niagara Financial Group Inc., as a key measure of lending profitability expanded.

The Cleveland-based bank reported net income of $229 million, or 19 cents a share, for the quarter, compared with $226 million, or 26 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding merger-related costs, KeyCorp earned 31 cents a share.

Revenue rose 43% to $1.57 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of 29 cents a share on $1.45 billion in revenue.

KeyCorp, which last year acquired First Niagara for about $4.1 billion, said net interest income rose 55% to $948 million, reflecting the benefit from the acquisition and ongoing business activity.

Noninterest income rose 27% to $618 million, helped by investment banking and debt placement fees, as well as service charges on deposit accounts.

Like many other lenders, KeyCorp has moved to cut costs and has closed some branches. Deal-related costs added up to $207 million in the quarter. Excluding merger-related charges, noninterest expenses rose 39% from a year ago, reflecting the impact of adding in First Niagara.

KeyCorp's net interest margin -- a gauge of lending profitability that measures how much a bank earns from the difference between what it pays on deposits and what it takes in on loans and investments -- was 3.09% in the fourth quarter, up from 2.83% in the prior quarter and from 2.84% a year ago.

KeyCorp shares, which have risen 40% in the past three months, were inactive premarket.

Write to Joshua Jamerson at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 19, 2017 07:34 ET (12:34 GMT)

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