Capital One Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?

Capital One Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?

Kritika Sarmah

Mon, August 17, 2026 at 1:47 PM GMT+3 3 min read

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Based in McLean, Virginia, Capital One Financial Corporation (COF) is a diversified financial services company offering credit cards, banking, auto financing, and commercial banking services. With a market capitalization of $139.5 billion, it serves more than 100 million customers, using data and technology to provide financial products and services.

Shares of this leading financial services company have underperformed the broader market over the past year. COF has gained 2.8% over this period, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has climbed nearly 20.4%. The stock has also underperformed the index in 2026, declining 6.2% year-to-date, compared with the S&P 500's 13.7% gain over the same period.

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Compared with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF), COF has also underperformed, as the ETF has gained 9.7% over the past year and 6.2% year-to-date.

On July 21, Capital One Financial reported its Q2 FY2026 earnings, with shares down marginally the same day and 2.4% the following trading day. Total net revenue increased 26.9% year-over-year to $15.85 billion, while adjusted EPS rose 6% from the prior year's quarter to $5.81.

The Q2 results reflected solid top-line growth and strong credit performance, with total net revenue increasing 4.1% sequentially from the last quarter and provision for credit losses declining $1.1 billion to $3.0 billion. The company's adjusted efficiency ratio was 51.38%.

Analysts expect COF's EPS to increase 3% year-over-year to $20.19 for the fiscal year ending in December 2026. COF has surpassed consensus EPS estimates in two of the past four quarters, while missing expectations in the remaining two quarters.

Based on the 24 analysts covering COF stock, the consensus rating is a "Strong Buy." The rating is based on 18 "Strong Buy" ratings, two "Moderate Buy" ratings, and four "Hold" ratings.

The configuration is more bullish than it was two months ago, when the stock had 17 "Strong Buy" ratings.

On August 3, UBS analyst Erika Najarian maintained a "Buy" rating on Capital One Financial and raised the price target from $275 to $280.

Based on analysts' estimates, the mean price target of $255.83 implies a 12.5% premium to COF's current share price, while the Street-high price target of $300 suggests a 32% upside.

On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com