McLean, Virginia-based Capital One Financial Corporation (COF) operates as the financial services holding company for the Capital One, National Association, which provides various financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company has a market cap of $116.5 billion and operates through three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking.
Shares of the company have lagged behind the broader market over the past year and in 2026. COF stock has declined 5.2% over the past 52 weeks and 22.8% on a YTD basis. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has returned 25.2% over the past year and risen 8.2% in 2026.
Narrowing the focus, COF has also underperformed the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF), which declined marginally over the past 52 weeks and its 6.7% decrease this year.
On Apr. 21, COF stock declined 1.6% following the release of its worse-than-expected Q1 2026 earnings. The company’s revenue rose 52.3% from the previous year’s quarter to $15.2 billion and failed to surpass the Street’s estimates. Moreover, its adjusted EPS amounted to $4.42, also failing to touch Wall Street’s forecasts.
For the current year ending in December, analysts expect COF’s EPS to decrease 2.2% year over year to $19.17. Moreover, the company has surpassed analysts’ consensus estimates in two of the past four quarters, while missing the mark twice.
Among the 23 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 17 “Strong Buy” ratings, two “Moderate Buy,” and four “Hold” ratings.
The configuration has remained unchanged over the past month.
On Apr. 23, Truist Securities analyst Brian Foran maintained a "Buy" rating on Capital One and lowered its price target from $275 to $255.
COF’s mean price target of $255.54 indicates a premium of 36.5% from the current market prices. Its Street-high target of $310 suggests a robust 65.6% upside potential from current price levels.
On the date of publication, Aritra Gangopadhyay 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. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.