Fact based stock research
First Citizens Bancshares (NasdaqGS:FCNC.A)

US31946M1036

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

First Citizens Bancshares stock research in summary

firstcitizens.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with investment alternatives), First Citizens Bancshares (Regional Banks, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of First Citizens Bancshares are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 19 (worse than 81% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 1), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 7), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on First Citizens Bancshares's financial characteristics. As the company First Citizens Bancshares's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 19), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 1), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 7), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	19
Growth Rank	1
Safety Rank	7
Combined Rank	1

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	NASDAQ, D.J. US Banks
Size class	Medium

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: First Citizens Bancshares

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	29	69	17	19
GROWTH
GROWTH	100	100	15	1
SAFETY
SAFETY	57	41	6	7
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	95	85	55	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	96	95	4	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better First Citizens Bancshares is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	29	69	17	19
GROWTH
GROWTH	100	100	15	1
SAFETY
SAFETY	57	41	6	7
COMBINED
COMBINED	89	93	1	1

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of First Citizens Bancshares the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 19 (worse than 81% compared with alternatives), First Citizens Bancshares shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for First Citizens Bancshares. Price-to-Sales is 40 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 60% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning First Citizens Bancshares's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 21, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of First Citizens Bancshares. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 32 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 91% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 19, is a sell recommendation based on First Citizens Bancshares's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for First Citizens Bancshares? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as First Citizens Bancshares? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. First Citizens Bancshares may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	61	85	44	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	57	97	38	32
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	8	62	24	21
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	3	3	3	9
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	29	69	17	19

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of First Citizens Bancshares; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 1 (better than 1% compared with alternatives), First Citizens Bancshares shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for First Citizens Bancshares. Sales Growth has a rank of 4, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 96% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 3, and Capital Growth with 25. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 39, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 61% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	100	96	12	4
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	76	100	1	3
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	83	100	36	25
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	77	100	71	39
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	100	100	15	1

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of First Citizens Bancshares.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 7 (better than 7% compared with alternatives), the company First Citizens Bancshares has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of First Citizens Bancshares is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for First Citizens Bancshares. Liquidity is at 59, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 59% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 32, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 68% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 1, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 99% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 7 (worse than 93% compared with alternatives), First Citizens Bancshares has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	50	2	3	1
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	62	63	35	32
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	37	76	49	59
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	57	41	6	7

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of First Citizens Bancshares and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	85	47	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	64	92	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	64	62	15	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	78	40	74	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	95	85	55	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for First Citizens Bancshares.
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