Benzinga

España
Italia
대한민국
日本
Français
Benzinga Edge
Benzinga Research
Benzinga Pro

  • Get Benzinga Pro
  • Data & APIs
  • Events
  • Premarket
  • Advertise
Contribute
España
Italia
대한민국
日本
Français

Benzinga

  • Premium Services
  • Financial News
    Latest
    Earnings
    Guidance
    Dividends
    M&A
    Buybacks
    Interviews
    Management
    Offerings
    IPOs
    Insider Trades
    Biotech/FDA
    Politics
    Healthcare
    Small-Cap
  • Markets
    Pre-Market
    After Hours
    Movers
    ETFs
    Options
    Cryptocurrency
    Commodities
    Bonds
    Futures
    Mining
    Real Estate
    Volatility
  • Ratings
    Analyst Color
    Downgrades
    Upgrades
    Initiations
    Price Target
  • Investing Ideas
    Trade Ideas
    Long Ideas
    Short Ideas
    Technicals
    Analyst Ratings
    Analyst Color
    Latest Rumors
    Whisper Index
    Stock of the Day
    Best Stocks & ETFs
    Best Penny Stocks
    Best S&P 500 ETFs
    Best Swing Trade Stocks
    Best Blue Chip Stocks
    Best High-Volume Penny Stocks
    Best Small Cap ETFs
    Best Stocks to Day Trade
    Best REITs
  • Money
    Investing
    Cryptocurrency
    Mortgage
    Insurance
    Yield
    Personal Finance
    Forex
    Startup Investing
    Real Estate Investing
    Prop Trading
    Credit Cards
    Stock Brokers
Research
My Stocks
Tools
Free Benzinga Pro Trial
Calendars
Analyst Ratings Calendar
Conference Call Calendar
Dividend Calendar
Earnings Calendar
Economic Calendar
FDA Calendar
Guidance Calendar
IPO Calendar
M&A Calendar
Unusual Options Activity Calendar
SPAC Calendar
Stock Split Calendar
Trade Ideas
Free Stock Reports
Insider Trades
Trade Idea Feed
Analyst Ratings
Unusual Options Activity
Heatmaps
Free Newsletter
Government Trades
Perfect Stock Portfolio
Easy Income Portfolio
Short Interest
Most Shorted
Largest Increase
Largest Decrease
Calculators
Margin Calculator
Forex Profit Calculator
100x Options Profit Calculator
Screeners
Stock Screener
Top Momentum Stocks
Top Quality Stocks
Top Value Stocks
Top Growth Stocks
Compare Best Stocks
Best Momentum Stocks
Best Quality Stocks
Best Value Stocks
Best Growth Stocks
Connect With Us
facebookinstagramlinkedintwitteryoutubeblueskymastodon
About Benzinga
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Market Resources
  • Advanced Stock Screener Tools
  • Options Trading Chain Analysis
  • Comprehensive Earnings Calendar
  • Dividend Investor Calendar and Alerts
  • Economic Calendar and Market Events
  • IPO Calendar and New Listings
  • Market Outlook and Analysis
  • Wall Street Analyst Ratings and Targets
Trading Tools & Education
  • Benzinga Pro Trading Platform
  • Options Trading Strategies and News
  • Stock Market Trading Ideas and Analysis
  • Technical Analysis Charts and Indicators
  • Fundamental Analysis and Valuation
  • Day Trading Guides and Strategies
  • Live Investors Events
  • Pre market Stock Analysis and News
  • Cryptocurrency Market Analysis and News
Ring the Bell

A newsletter built for market enthusiasts by market enthusiasts. Top stories, top movers, and trade ideas delivered to your inbox every weekday before and after the market closes.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Data/Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Service Status
  • Sitemap
© 2026 Benzinga | All Rights Reserved
March 5, 2020 12:15 PM 4 min read

7 Financial Stocks To Sell As Interest Rates Fall

by Wayne Duggan Benzinga Staff Writer
Follow

ArticleFeaturedTickersList12345!!!

The Federal Reserve took aggressive action this month in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak by cutting interest rates by 0.5%, the largest rate cut since 2008. The latest rate cut also represented the fourth consecutive interest rate cut by the Fed.

Throughout history, every single time the Fed has cut rates four consecutive times, the U.S. economy subsequently entered a recession. A weak economy and low interest rates are a double whammy for many banks and insurance companies that depend on interest income.

Here are eight financial sector stocks to sell, according to Bank of America.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB)

U.S. Bancorp is the fifth largest commercial bank in the U.S.

Analyst Erika Najarian recently said it will be difficult for U.S. Bancorp to generate positive operating leverage in 2020 given the current environment. In the fourth quarter, core expenses were up 3%, and management said on the earnings call expenses will likely continue to rise in the low single digits this year. Interest rate cuts will eat into net interest margins, and Najarian said the stock is fully priced given the near-term uncertainty.

Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $63 price target for USB stock.

Lloyds Banking Group PLC ADR (NYSE:LYG)

Lloyds is one of the biggest banks in the UK. As bad as things are in the U.S. right now, they are much worse in Europe, especially in the UK.

Analyst Rohith Chandra-Rajan recently said 2020 will be a challenging year for Lloyds given interest rates and pricing pressures. Heading into 2020, management guided for 2020 margins of between 2.75% and 2.8%, guidance that Chandra-Rajan said seemed optimistic even before the coronavirus outbreak ramped up. Chandra-Rajan said Lloyd’s current stock valuation is more reflective of the company’s past performance than its challenging future.

Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $2.58 price target for LYG stock.

See Also: 3 ETFs To Avoid Following The Fed's Latest Interest Rate Cut

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO)

Bank of Montreal is the fourth-largest bank in Canada.

Analyst Ebrahim Poonawala recently said the bank’s rise in provision for credit losses last quarter was a red flag for investors that overshadowed the bank’s strong operating trends. While management was mostly optimistic in their commentary, Poonawala said investors are understandably concerned about the bank’s credit, especially given the potential for its relatively high commercial loan growth to create near-term earnings volatility. For now, Poonawala said investors need to take a cautious approach to Bank of Montreal and take advantage of better risk-reward skews elsewhere in the banking group.

Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $78 price target for BMO stock.

Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WLTW)

Willis is the third-largest insurance broker in the world.

Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $198 price target for WLTW stock.

Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL)

Arch Capital is a global insurance, reinsurance and mortgage insurance with a focus on specialty lines.

Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $43 price target for ACGL stock.

Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SHG)

Shinhan Financial is the largest financial group in Korea.

Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $43 price target for SHG stock.

W. R. Berkley Corp (NYSE:WRB)

W.R. Berkley is a property/casualty insurance and reinsurance holding company.

Cohen recently said W.R. Berkley is well-positioned to benefit from an improving pricing environment for P/C insurers, but the stock is fully valued at recent levels. Cohen has praised the company’s impressive return on equity and high-quality product portfolio. However, he said there are plenty of better values within the insurance group given W.R. Berkley shares trade at a significant premium to peers.

Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $65 price target for WRB stock.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


Posted In:
Analyst ColorShort IdeasPrice TargetAnalyst RatingsTrading IdeasBank of AmericaEbrahim PoonawalaErika Najarian
LYG Logo
LYGLloyds Banking Group PLC
$5.97-%
Overview
USB Logo
USBU.S. Bancorp
$55.93-0.32%
ACGL Logo
ACGLArch Capital Group Ltd
$96.04-%
BMO Logo
BMOBank of Montreal
$139.172.22%
SHG Logo
SHGShinhan Financial Group Co Ltd
$58.33-%
WRB Logo
WRBWR Berkley Corp
$69.120.79%

Analyst Jay Cohen recently said Willis’ organic growth has been solid, including 6% revenue growth last quarter. However, margins have been disappointing, and its Benefits Delivery & Administration segment has struggled. Management has guided for between 4% and 5% organic growth in 2020. Since it was formed by the merger of Willis Group Holdings and Towers Watson in 2016, Cohen says Willis Towers Watson has struggled to generate consistent results.

Cohen recently said Arch’s fourth-quarter earnings beat was mostly due to a lower-than-expected tax rate. He said Arch’s mortgage results have been relatively strong, but a more normalized mortgage credit environment will likely pressure margins. Cohen said Arch is a well-managed company with a growing mortgage insurance business. He also praised the company’s pristine balance sheet and opportunistic reinsurance growth. However, at the stock’s current valuation, he said there are plenty of opportunities elsewhere in the sector with more upside.

Analyst Bryan Song recently said Shinhan’s non-bank subsidiaries are creating challenges and earnings risk for the parent company. He said rising credit card loss provisions combined with a macroeconomic slowdown in Korea and an increasingly tight credit environment for non-banks has created risk for investors given Shinhan is Korea’s largest credit card issuer. Sing said Shinhan has done a decent job of controlling provision expansion in the past, but he expects a rise in delinquencies in the near future.

LYG Logo
LYGLloyds Banking Group PLC
$5.97-%
Overview
USB Logo
USBU.S. Bancorp
$55.93-0.32%
ACGL Logo
ACGLArch Capital Group Ltd
$96.04-%
BMO Logo
BMOBank of Montreal
$139.172.22%
SHG Logo
SHGShinhan Financial Group Co Ltd
$58.33-%
WRB Logo
WRBWR Berkley Corp
$69.120.79%
Beat the Market With Our Free Pre-Market Newsletter
Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter
Comments
Loading...