The largest bank in the United States, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), reported earnings on April 11 and posted better-than-expected top and bottom-line results. Revenue came in at $46.01 billion, handily beating the consensus expectation of $44.11. Earnings per share were $5.07, a beat of $0.44 over the consensus estimate of $4.63 per share. Despite CEO Jamie Dimon's warnings about the state of the broader economy, JPMorgan Chase's earnings showcased strength throughout numerous divisions, especially in equities trading. Trading revenue tallied $3.8 billion, up 48% from the previous quarter and exceeding estimates by more than $500 million.

JPM’s underlying strength boosts these strong earnings figures. The stock has an 11.27 Price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is cheaper than that of competitors like Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs despite JPM's higher profit margins. It also pays a 2.44% yield with a 27% dividend payout rate (DPR), and the company has increased its payout annually for 15 consecutive years. One potential area of concern resides at the 200-day moving average, which could become a new resistance level if momentum fades. If the share price can sustainably break through this level, a resumption of the uptrend could follow.

Another large bank to post an impressive earnings beat was Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) which reported on April 15 and beat estimates on both earnings and revenue. Like his rival Dimon, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan echoed concern about what he's hearing from business owners, but also pointed to consumer resilience and growth from their business clients as reasons for strong quarterly earnings. The beat was narrower than JPM, with revenue of $27.51 billion compared to the expected $26.99 billion and earnings of 90 cents per share versus the expected 82 cents. However, the stock rose 4% following the earnings release as revenue was boosted by both equities trading and net interest income (NII). Both the $2.2 billion in trading revenue and the $3.5 billion in fixed income revenue exceeded estimates, offsetting the declines in investment banking fees.

BAC shares were finally closing in on their 2022 high before tariff uncertainty began spooking markets, and the stock recently made the dreaded ‘death cross' on the daily chart as the 50-day moving average crossed below the 200-day moving average. But there are fundamental reasons to believe the technical signal is a false alarm. Bank of America trades at just 10.2 times forward earnings, making its stock cheaper than most of its large bank competitors, such as JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs. The stock also pays a 2.79% dividend yield with a 31% DPR, and an 11-year history of annual dividend increases. Analysts are also bullish, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $45.52, based on 25 reports compiled by Benzinga.

Mega banks weren't the only companies producing strong earnings. Synovus Financial (NYSE:SNV) is a smaller regional bank with services primarily located in the southern United States, in states such as Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The bank has a market capitalization of just under $6 billion and generated $2.01 billion in annual sales last year. In its April 17 earnings release for Q1 2025, Synovus Financial posted top and bottom-line beats, including an impressive $1.30 EPS report versus the expected $1.10, a 16% upside surprise. The bank's $571 million in quarterly revenue also beat expectations, boosted by an expansion of net interest margin (NIM) and interest income of $454 million.

SNV's stock has been on quite the rollercoaster over the last decade. Shares hit an all-time high near $60 in June 2018 before collapsing to under $15 per share during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stock finally rebounded near its all-time high in Q4 2024, before this recent dip. The company's earnings and fundamentals suggest a stock with potential. The stock trades at just 8.7 times forward earnings, which is cheaper than its regional bank peers, such as Citizens Financial Group and Cadence Bank. The company has also grown its revenue by nearly 19% year over year (YoY) and pays a dividend yield of 3.85%. Like BAC, investors must be wary of the ‘Death Cross' formed by the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, but the uplifting earnings report could make this another false signal.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) is often the whipping boy in the financial services sector, but its recent earnings report revealed nothing worth deriding. The bank reported $21.6 billion in quarterly revenue and $1.96 EPS, both numbers easily surpassing analysts’ estimates. One of the more impressive numbers on the report was the $1.5 billion in equity trading revenue, a 23% increase from the previous quarter. The stock jumped 3% following the April 15 report, which also included full-year guidance estimates of $83.1 to $84.1 billion.

Citigroup is still cheap to own compared to its large-cap peers, despite its earnings success and high 3.54% dividend yield. The stock has a P/E ratio of just 9.81, a Price-to-Book (P/B) value of 0.61, and trades at 8.6 times forward earnings, making it more affordable than JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The stock recently triggered an oversold signal on the Relative Strength Index (RSI) too, indicating that the underlying uptrend could be close to resuming its march.