SAO PAULO, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run lender Banco do Brasil expects its adjusted net profit to grow by up to 26% in 2026, it said on Wednesday, as it posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter results.
Banco do Brasil said its adjusted net profit should reach some 22-26 billion reais ($4.3-$5 billion) this year. This would mark a solid rebound after the figure slid 45% in 2025 to 20.7 billion reais.
The center of the target stands at 24 billion reais, broadly in line with the 24.39 billion reais predicted
by analysts polled by LSEG.
"We are optimistic about 2026," Banco do Brasil President Tarciana Medeiros said in a statement, adding the lender continues to focus on risk mitigation and profitability.
Banco do Brasil also posted an adjusted net profit of 5.74 billion reais in last year's fourth quarter, up some 40% year-on-year and above the 4.55 billion reais expected by analysts.
Its return on equity, a measure of profitability, came in at 12.4%, down from 20.8% a year earlier, but above the 8.4% posted in the third quarter.
For 2026, the bank also predicted its credit portfolio will grow between 0.5% and 4.5% this year, after rising 3.1% in 2025. Cost of credit is expected between 53 billion reais and 58 billion reais, compared to around 62 billion reais last year.
In a separate filing, the lender announced some 1.2 billion reais in interest on equity to shareholders.
($1 = 5.1815 reais)
(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Sarah Morland)
