Erste Bank: strong capital position, strong returns (stays BUY)
We remain BUYers of Erste Bank and increase our 12M price target (PT) to EUR 57.0/share (from EUR 49.5/share), or 27% upside. We continue to consider Erste Bank a well-capitalised bank, which should offer attractive dividend/buyback returns to shareholders and keep its optionality to deliver business growth, in our view. The bank’s double-digit ROEs imply capital generation that can fund solid single-digit growth and solid dividends at the same time, with no weakening of the very strong capital ratios. Our 2024E ROE lands at almost 14% currently and we see the medium-term ROE normalising to 11-12% – similar to, but slightly better than expected previously. This is above the current COE levels and deserves a share price rerating to above 1x, from the current 0.9x level, in our view. This, together with its attractive dividend/buyback, returns a 9%+ yield in the next 12 months, which serves as an attractive opportunity, in our view.Erste Group is a financial services provider based in Austria. As of Dec 31 2015, Co.'s total assets amounted to Euro199,743 million and the number of customers was approximately 16.5 million. Co.'s key business is the retail business, covering the entire spectrum from lending, deposit and investment products to current accounts and credit cards. In addition to providing financial services to private individuals, Co.'s core activities also include advisory services and support for corporate clients in financing, investment and access to international capital markets, public sector funding and interbank market operations.
WOOD & Company is the leading investment bank in Emerging Europe. Founded in 1991 and head-quartered in Prague, our footprint spans the region and touches investors around the globe.
A pioneer in Emerging Europe, WOOD executed many of the first CEE equity trades and landmark investment banking transactions. Our electronic trading platform was the first in the region, and remains the best. We are continually expanding our relevance and reach in these ever-evolving markets.
Our equity market share reflects our stature: 7% in Warsaw, 20% in Bucharest, 16% in Hungary, 40% in Prague and 5% in Vienna. Our distribution is unparalleled, with the largest salesforce in the region, servicing a uniquely diverse investor base.
We couple local expertise with a truly international perspective. With offices on the ground in the region, and in key financial hubs such as London and Milano, we are never far from our clients and we remain at the forefront of what’s afoot in the CEE emerging and frontier landscape.
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