JPMorgan, Goldman, Citi and Morgan Stanley boost dividends after Fed stress tests

The stress tests “show that banks are resilient — even while withstanding severe shocks — and continue to serve as a pillar of strength to the financial system and broader economy,” JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in a statement.

“We continue to maintain a fortress balance sheet with strong capital levels and robust liquidity,” Dimon added.

Morgan Stanley
MS,
+0.19%
said it will increase its quarterly dividend to 85 cents a share from the current 77.5 cents a share, beginning with its third-quarter dividend. The bank also said that its board reauthorized a multiyear share buyback totaling as much as $20 billion, without an expiration date, beginning in the third quarter.

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“The results of the Federal Reserve’s stress test demonstrate the durability of our transformed business model. We remain committed to returning capital to our shareholders and are raising our dividend by 7.5 cents,” Chief Executive James P. Gorman said in a statement.

Wells Fargo
WFC,
+0.54%,
for its part, said it will increase its dividend to 35 cents a share, up from 30 cents a share, subject to board approval. It said it has the capacity to undertake a share buyback, “which will be routinely assessed as part of the company’s internal capital adequacy framework that considers current market conditions, potential changes to regulatory capital requirements, and other risk factors,” without elaborating further.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
GS,
-0.17%
said it would raise its dividend, to $2.75 a share from $2.50 a share, starting July 1.

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Citigroup Inc. C said its board had approved an increase in its quarterly dividend to 53 cents a share, from 51 cents, also for the third quarter.

Citi Chief Executive Jane Fraser said that, while the bank “would have clearly preferred not to see an increase in our stress capital buffer, these results still demonstrate Citi’s financial resilience through all economic environments, including the severely adverse scenario envisioned in the Federal Reserve’s stress test.”

Citi’s “robust capital and liquidity position, as well as the diversification of our funding and our business model, allow Citi to continue to be a source of strength for our clients and navigate challenging macro environments securely,” Fraser said.

The bank bought back $1 billon in shares in the second quarter and will continue to evaluate its capital actions, the chief executive said. “We are completely committed to simplifying Citi, improving returns and delivering value to our shareholders.”

Shares of Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo rose 1.5% and 0.1%, respectively, in the after-hours session after ending the regular trading day up a respective 0.2% and 0.5%. JPMorgan shares edged up 0.2% in the extended session after closing 1.4% higher on Friday. Citigroup shares were up 0.2%, while Goldman’s were largely unchanged.

Bill Peters contributed.