Higher rates will give these three a lift

Article Excerpt

Low interest rates are cutting the income these lenders earn on new loans. At the same time, they’ve had to increase the rates they pay out to attract depositors, which has squeezed their margins. In response, they’re making acquisitions and cutting costs. These moves should fuel their earnings, particularly as interest rates will likely rise in 2016. WELLS FARGO & CO. $55 (New York symbol WFC; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 5.1 billion; Market cap: $280.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.wellsfargo.com) operates through three divisions: Community Banking provides mortgages, loans, credit cards and other financial services (57% of 2014 revenue, 59% of earnings); Wholesale Banking supplies business loans (27%, 32%); and Wealth, Brokerage and Retirement offers wealth management, brokerage and trust services to individuals and institutions, such as pension plans (16%, 9%). The bank gets 95% of its revenue from the U.S. Wells Fargo recently agreed to buy the commercial…