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Earnings season is back.

And you know what that means: the big banks will lead it off.

But after a subdued earnings season in January and February, what will companies be saying about their businesses and the economy in April, after Russia invaded Ukraine, and commodities prices soared in the intervening 3 months?

The big banks have excellent earnings surprise track records but their shares are mostly weak in 2022.

Yet the FOMC is now raising rates and has indicated it may get more aggressive in the next coming months.

Are they a buying opportunity? 

5 Big Bank Earnings Charts to Watch

1.    JPMorgan Chase (JPM - Free Report)

JPMorgan Chase is the first to report among the banks. It has beat 7 quarters in a row.

Shares of JPMorgan Chase have fallen 16% year-to-date and now trade with a forward P/E of 12.1.

Investors will get a dividend, currently yielding 3%.

Is JPMorgan Chase cheap now?

2.    Wells Fargo & Company (WFC - Free Report)

Wells Fargo used to be the odd man out among the big banks as the shares have struggled in recent years.

But it has beat 6 quarters in a row and has had a big rally during the pandemic.

Wells Fargo shares are actually up 2.8% year-to-date.

It’s trading at 12x forward earnings and pays a dividend-yielding 2.1%.

Is it time to consider Wells Fargo for your portfolio?

3.    Goldman Sachs (GS - Free Report)

Goldman Sachs is the only one of these 5 big banks that actually missed on earnings last quarter. Prior to that miss, it had beat 7 quarters in a row.

Goldman Sachs shares have fallen 16% year-to-date and are now dirt cheap. It has a forward P/E of just 8.7.

Like other banks, Goldman Sachs pays a dividend, yielding 2.5%.

Will this earnings report reverse the slide in Goldman Sachs’ shares?

4.    Citigroup (C - Free Report)

Citigroup has a perfect earnings surprise track record. It has beat 5 years in a row. That’s impressive, especially during the pandemic.

But Citigroup is also the cheapest of the big banks, with a forward P/E of 7.1, as shares are down 16.3% year-to-date.

It also pays the highest dividend yield among the five banks at 4%.

But the dividend hasn’t been enough to lure in investors.

When will Citigroup finally turn it around?

5.    Bank of America (BAC - Free Report)

Bank of America has beat on earnings 5 quarters in a row. But these shares are weak like many of the banks.

Bank of America is down 11% year-to-date giving it a forward P/E of 12.

It’s paying a dividend, currently yielding 2.1%.

Bank of America has a big, traditional banking business in the United States which should benefit from rising rates.

Is Bank of America the one bank investors should keep on their shortlist?

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