Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) Trading Up 2.4% – Time to Buy?

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)’s stock price rose 2.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $53.09 and last traded at $53.07. Approximately 35,126,948 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 12% from the average daily volume of 39,863,027 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.81.

Key Headlines Impacting Bank of America

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank of America this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BofA’s chief investment strategist warned the 30‑year Treasury yield should not be allowed to run above ~5%, a view that helped steady long‑end yields and reduced rate‑driven equity volatility—this is supportive for bank stocks by calming macro uncertainty. Top Bank of America strategist says the long bond is nearing the key line in the sand
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokers and MarketBeat coverage point to BAC’s low P/E and analyst price targets implying meaningful upside, framing recent weakness as a buy‑the‑dip opportunity rather than company deterioration. Bank of America’s Rock-Bottom P/E and 25% Upside Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~12.4% in January, reducing potential downside pressure from short covering—fewer shorts can make rallies more sustainable.
• Neutral Sentiment: BofA will match a $1,000 pilot contribution for eligible U.S. employees to “Trump Accounts,” a benefits decision with limited immediate financial impact but potential reputational/policy attention. BofA to match US government’s pilot contribution to Trump Accounts, memo says
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America increased its stake in Flutter Entertainment — a portfolio/investment activity that doesn’t directly change BAC’s core banking outlook but shows active position management. Bank of America Boosts Stake in Flutter Entertainment
• Neutral Sentiment: Senior strategist Savita Subramanian signaled too much euphoria in a popular market group, a tone‑setting research comment that encourages caution but is not company‑specific. BofA’s Savita Subramanian says she sees too much euphoria in a popular market group
• Negative Sentiment: Daiwa Capital Markets lowered its expectations for BAC’s stock price, signaling at least one institutional view that recent upside may be limited or that risks are underappreciated. Daiwa Capital Markets Has Lowered Expectations for Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed price targets while remaining constructive, reflecting a mix of continued confidence and shorter‑term caution that can cap rallies until macro uncertainty eases. Analysts cut Bank of America (BAC) price targets while staying bullish
• Negative Sentiment: BofA’s Bull & Bear Indicator flashed a “hyper‑bull” signal from its fund manager survey, historically a contrarian warning that can precede market corrections and pose downside risk to cyclical names like banks. This Signal Just Flashed for the First Time in 8 Years; History Says It Could Indicate a Sharp Correction Ahead

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BAC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Bank of America from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $55.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Bank of America from $68.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Bank of America from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Bank of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of America currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.00.

Bank of America Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $387.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $54.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.47.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.02. Bank of America had a return on equity of 11.07% and a net margin of 16.23%.The business had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank of America

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BAC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Bank of America in the second quarter valued at about $5,091,641,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bank of America by 640.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 46,516,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,399,798,000 after purchasing an additional 40,235,201 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bank of America by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 651,076,825 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,809,225,000 after purchasing an additional 23,351,183 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Bank of America by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 144,371,118 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,448,816,000 after purchasing an additional 14,275,810 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Bank of America by 124.8% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 17,619,837 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $833,771,000 after purchasing an additional 9,782,208 shares in the last quarter. 70.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation is a multinational financial services company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It provides a broad array of banking, investment, asset management and related financial and risk management products and services to individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, governments and institutional investors. The firm operates through consumer banking, global wealth and investment management, global banking and markets businesses, offering capabilities across lending, deposits, payments, advisory and capital markets.

Its consumer-facing offerings include checking and savings accounts, mortgages, home equity lending, auto loans, credit cards and small business banking, supported by a nationwide branch network and digital channels.