Capital One Financial Corporation (COF)
Capital One is a major American bank that uses data and technology to provide credit cards, loans, and savings accounts to millions of customers.
Is Capital One Financial Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Strong brand recognition in the US credit card market. Worth weighing: Earnings have recently dipped despite revenue growth.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does Capital One Financial Corporation do?
Capital One makes its money primarily by lending money through credit cards and loans, earning interest from customers who carry a balance. They are well-known for their heavy investment in technology to help them decide who to lend to and how to manage risk. What to follow is how they balance rapid growth against the risk of customers struggling to repay their debts in a tougher economy.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and value, and weakest on quality.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 1.5% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 1111% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 22% of sales into profit
- Value screens high
- Growth screens high
- Income screens high
- —
Does Capital One Financial Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Capital One Financial Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 1.5% a year, which is £15 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →
What do the numbers say about Capital One Financial Corporation's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
Most recent ex-dividend date: 19 May 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →
What do Capital One Financial Corporation's numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Capital One Financial Corporation actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Capital One Financial Corporation fell as much as −32% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns Capital One Financial Corporation?
About 89% of Capital One Financial Corporation, or about 89 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds, and company insiders hold about 2%. The rest, roughly 10%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does Capital One Financial Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
When does Capital One Financial Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Capital One Financial Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-20 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-21 | $4.69 | $5.81 | Beat +24% |
| 2026-04-21 | $4.57 | $4.42 | Missed -3% |
| 2026-01-22 | $4.14 | $3.86 | Missed -7% |
| 2025-10-21 | $4.36 | $5.95 | Beat +36% |
| 2025-07-22 | $3.72 | $5.48 | Beat +47% |
| 2025-04-22 | $3.65 | $4.06 | Beat +11% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Capital One Financial Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for Capital One Financial Corporation?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Technology investments lead to market-leading efficiency.
Increased competition from digital-only banks and fintechs.
What are the pros and cons of Capital One Financial Corporation?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Strong brand recognition in the US credit card market
- Significant investment in data and technology
- High revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. indicates strong customer acquisition
- Earnings have recently dipped despite revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago.
- Low return on equity: How much profit the company makes for each £1 shareholders have put in. Higher usually means a more efficient business. suggests inefficient use of capital
- High sensitivity to the overall health of the economy
- Rising levels of bad debt if customers cannot pay back loans
- Increased regulation on credit card fees and interest rates
- Intense competition from both traditional banks and new tech-focused lenders
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained drop in consumer credit card usage
- A major change in banking regulations that limits lending profits
Common questions about Capital One Financial Corporation
Does Capital One Financial Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Capital One Financial Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 1.5% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.
When does Capital One Financial Corporation report earnings next?
Capital One Financial Corporation is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-10-20. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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BeazleyBuilt from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.