Banks · 21/36 against 23/36 checks · to 2026-09-08

BAC vs WFC.

Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC) are within reach of each other at $436.3B and $266.0B, and on the filings Wells Fargo passes more, 23 checks of 36 against 21.

Which passes more checks?

widest gap first

No axis separates them by more than 1 of six checks, and the widest is Value. They score identically on 4 of the six, so the difference between them is narrower than a headline suggests.

ValueGrowthQualityHealthReturnsTrendBAC 21/36WFC 23/36
BACWFC
Value2/63/6
Trend analysis4/65/6
Growth4/64/6
Quality3/63/6
Health4/64/6
Shareholder returns4/64/6
All checks21/3623/36

Bank of America turns over $119.2B to Wells Fargo's $86.8B, 1.4 times as much. Bank of America keeps 28.2% of revenue as profit against 26.0% at Wells Fargo.

Which is cheaper?

Wells Fargo is the cheaper of the two on earnings, 12.6x against 14.2x. Against their own histories, Bank of America is above its 9.5x median and Wells Fargo is above its 9.7x.

BACWFC
Share price$62.39$87.96
Market cap$436.3B$266.0B
P/E14.2x12.6x
P/E, own median own 11-year median / own 10-year median9.5x9.7x
P/S3.7x3.1x
Free cash flow yield--

Which is growing faster, BAC or WFC?

Bank of America and Wells Fargo grew revenue at much the same rate last year, +8.1% against +6.2%. Over three years the order is the same, Bank of America at +6.0% and Wells Fargo at +4.0%.

BACWFC
Revenue (TTM)$119.2B$86.8B
Revenue growth, 1 year+8.1%+6.2%
Revenue CAGR, 3 years+6.0%+4.0%
Net income (TTM)$33.6B$22.6B
Free cash flow (TTM)--

Which keeps more of each sale?

BACWFC
Gross margin--
Operating margin--
Return on equity11.2%12.5%

Which balance sheet is stronger?

Both lean on debt to a similar degree, 1.33x to equity at Bank of America and 1.15x at Wells Fargo.

BACWFC
Debt / equity1.33x1.15x
Interest coverage--
Cash and short-term investments$229.7B$201.5B

Which hands more back to owners?

Both pay: Wells Fargo yields the more at 2.0% against 0.4%. A yield rises when a price falls, so read it beside the payout checks in each report.

BACWFC
Dividend yield0.4%2.0%
Payout ratio5.0%24.0%
Years of unbroken dividend--

Where they differ most

the checks behind the gap

Value: Wells Fargo 1 ahead

  • Earnings yield beats a long bond (4%) 7.9% vs 4.0%
  • Hands back over 3% in dividends and buybacks 8.9% vs 3.0%
  • Price isn't outrunning growth PEG 0.56
  • Cheap on book value 1.45 vs 1.30 (peer median)
  • Price isn't outrunning growth PEG 2.53

Trend analysis: Wells Fargo 1 ahead

  • Price above the Kumo cloud $87.96 against a cloud top of $85.58
  • Price above the Tenkan and the Kijun $87.96 against the Tenkan (9 sessions) at $87.03 and the Kijun (26) at $86.91
  • Tenkan above the Kijun Tenkan $87.03 above the Kijun $86.91, 4 sessions since they crossed
  • Price above the Tenkan and the Kijun $62.39 against the Tenkan (9 sessions) at $62.01 and the Kijun (26) at $62.84
  • Tenkan above the Kijun Tenkan $62.01 below the Kijun $62.84, 7 sessions since they crossed