Provident Financial (PROV Quick QuotePROV - Free Report) reported $9.41 million in revenue for the quarter ended March 2024, representing a year-over-year decline of 9.4%. EPS of $0.22 for the same period compares to $0.33 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.72 million, representing a surprise of -3.17%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -8.33%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.24.

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: 2.7% versus the two-analyst average estimate of 2.8%.
• Efficiency ratio: 76.2% versus the two-analyst average estimate of 73.8%.
• Total Non-Interest Income: $0.85 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $0.97 million.

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

Shares of Provident Financial have returned -3.6% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2% 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.