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Bank investors were greeted with multiple downgrades Monday from two notable bank analysts. Here's a roundup of what was said and which stocks were downgraded.
Bank stocks have been hot over the past month having gained 10 percent to trade at post-election highs, Baird's David George commented in a report. But at the same loan growth isn't as strong as it has been in the past, the yield curve is flatter, and President Trump's fiscal agenda and progress with tax reform appears to be stalled.
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Zions Downgraded
George downgraded Zions Bancorp (NASDAQ:ZION) from Neutral to Underweight with a $43 price target due to valuation concerns. Zion's forward P/E of 14x 2019E EPS stands at a premium to the 13x peer median. The company needs to show investors accelerating loan growth and improvement in operating leverage to narrow the spread in core returns versus its peers.
Related Link: Bernstein Gets Bullish On Mid-Cap Banks
Regions Financial Downgraded
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George downgraded Regions Financial Corp (NYSE:RF) from Neutral to Underweight with a $13 price target amid execution risks. Specifically, as the company reaches its 60 percent efficiency ratio goal its performance in 2018 looks "challenging" without more help from higher interest rates and acceleration in its loan growth.
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Fifth Third Bancorp Downgraded
George also downgraded Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) from Neutral to Underweight as the company needs outside help to justify a premium valuation. It will likely be difficult for the company to reach its Project North Star targets without macro help and the benefits of the initiative seem to already be reflected in consensus estimates.
US Bancorp Downgraded
Bank of America's Erika Najarian downgraded U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) from Neutral to Underperform with a price target lowered from $56 to $54. While US Bancorp is very much a "high quality franchise" the company is expected to deliver slower improvements in returns and capital distribution compared to its peers. Accordingly, investors should seek out "value over quality."
Citizens Financial Group Downgraded
Najarian also downgraded Citizens Financial Group Inc (NYSE:CFG) from Buy to Underperform with a price target lowered from $41 to $40. The analyst's prior bullish stance was mostly due to the bank's improving ROTCE but in the absence of another efficiency program ahead, there will likely be downward consensus revisions for 2018.
Crypto Whales Are Loading Up — Are You?
New research shows the biggest crypto buyers are back. And this time? They could hold for the possibility that Bitcoin will surpass $100,000 in 2024. You don’t want to miss the next massive crypto bull run like we saw in 2020 and 2021. To know exactly what’s going on and what to buy… Get Access To Benzinga’s Best Crypto Research and Investments For Only $1.