• Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) has a ROIC of 3.83% and a WACC of 15.17%, indicating inefficiencies in capital utilization.
• Discover Financial Services (DFS) and American Express Company (AXP) demonstrate higher capital efficiency with ROIC/WACC ratios of 1.34 and 1.54, respectively.
• The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BK) and U.S. Bancorp (USB) also show inefficiencies in capital utilization similar to Capital One.

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) is a prominent player in the financial services sector, offering a range of products including credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts. The company competes with other financial institutions like Discover Financial Services, The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, The PNC Financial Services Group, U.S. Bancorp, and American Express Company.

In evaluating Capital One's financial performance, the Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) and Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) are crucial metrics. Capital One's ROIC is 3.83%, while its WACC is 15.17%, resulting in a ROIC/WACC ratio of 0.25. This indicates that Capital One is not generating returns that exceed its cost of capital, suggesting inefficiencies in capital utilization.

Comparatively, Discover Financial Services (DFS) exhibits a ROIC of 17.39% and a WACC of 13.01%, leading to a ROIC/WACC ratio of 1.34. This suggests that Discover is effectively generating returns above its cost of capital, highlighting its efficient capital management.

American Express Company (AXP) stands out with a ROIC of 15.70% and a WACC of 10.22%, resulting in the highest ROIC/WACC ratio of 1.54 among the peers. This indicates that American Express is utilizing its capital most effectively, generating significant returns above its cost of capital, which can lead to higher value creation for shareholders.

In contrast, The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BK) and U.S. Bancorp (USB) have ROIC/WACC ratios of 0.23 and 0.35, respectively, indicating that they, like Capital One, are not generating returns that exceed their cost of capital. This comparison underscores the need for Capital One to improve its capital efficiency to enhance shareholder value.