10 Best Bank Stocks to Buy in 2025

8. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 51

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) is a diversified financial services corporation in the United States. It is the parent company of PNC Bank, one of the largest banks in the country with over 2,200 branches nationwide.

In November, the company announced plans to increase its branch investment by $500 million to open 100 new branches and renovate another 200 locations. This expansion to the plan laid out in February last year to invest approximately $1 billion in opening 100 new locations and renovating 1,200 others through 2028 is a significant step forward as The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) strives to offer its clients convenient, in-person access to financial experts.

During its third-quarter 2024 earnings call on October 15, PNC reported total revenue of $5.4 billion, which grew by $21 million year-over-year, driven by higher net interest income and a surge in fee income growth. Net interest income was up 3% from last year to reach $3.4 billion, primarily due to higher yields on interest-earning assets. Fee income rose by 10% to $2 billion and was attributed to higher capital markets activity and an increase in residential mortgage servicing rights valuation. Net income for the quarter stood at $1.5 billion, with diluted EPS logged at $3.49.

Enhancing customer experience remains a top priority for The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC). During the quarter, it signed a bilateral data access agreement with Plaid to enable its customers to safely and securely share their financial data with selected financial applications via Plaid. PNC customers will be able to have greater data security through this partnership between PNC and Plaid.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) is also committed to shareholder returns, and on January 3, it declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.60 per share to be paid on February 5. Wall Street analysts are bullish on the stock, with a consensus Buy rating and an average share price upside potential of 5.55%. It is one of the best bank stocks to buy in 2025.