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Investing.com - Shares in ABN Amro (AS:ABNd) surged on Wednesday after the Dutch bank reported better-than-anticipated first-quarter earnings.
Net profit for the period came in at 619 million euros, a decline of 8% compared to a year earlier, but above average analyst expectations of 586 million euros. Strong net fee and commissions helped to offset lower volumes of corporate loans and margin pressure on residential mortgages.
Quarterly net interest income, or the difference between revenues from interest on loans and servicing liabilities, of 1.56 billion euros was slightly below projections.
"The first-quarter miss is disappointing but ABN has taken action to mitigate the impact of lower rates on net interest income," analysts at RBC Capital Markets said in a note to clients.
ABN’s CET1 ratio, a gauge of a bank’s liquidity to its risk exposure, was 14.7%, up from 13.8% a year prior.
Despite noting a "challenging" operating environment clouded by uncertainties from trade tensions and geopolitical developments, CEO Marguerite Bérard said in a statement that the company had "performed well" and delivered "solid results and growth" in its loan books.
"This reflects our strategic focus on key growth areas, our credit quality and our ability to adapt to changing market conditions," said Bérard, who was recently appointed as CEO of the lender.
Bérard flagged that ABN Amro managed to bring down underlying costs, stemming pressures from a "few quarters" of rising expenses, adding that "discipline" will be needed to meet the company’s goal of keeping underlying costs broadly flat versus the previous year.
"Therefore, we enforced increased controls on consultant expenditures and external hiring," Bérard said. In April, ABN instituted a temporary hiring freeze that applied to all regions and segments.