For the quarter ended December 2023, Provident Financial (PROV Quick QuotePROV - Free Report) reported revenue of $9.65 million, down 6.7% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.31, compared to $0.33 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -3.51% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $10 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.26, the EPS surprise was +19.23%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Provident Financial performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Net Interest Margin: 2.8% versus 2.9% estimated by two analysts on average.
• Efficiency ratio: 76.1% compared to the 71.8% average estimate based on two analysts.
• Total Non-Interest Income: $0.88 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $0.95 million.

View all Key Company Metrics for Provident Financial here>>>

Shares of Provident Financial have returned +17.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.