reports
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
Bank of Cyprus: value is (sometimes) relative (stays BUY)
We reiterate our BUY on Bank of Cyprus (BOCH). Our new price target (PT) is EUR 9.34. The bank is trading at 8.5x P/E and 1.2x P/TBV for 2025E, on our estimates (and 10.6x P/E and 1.6x P/TBV at target). With the Eurozone opportunity costs low (AT1 spreads at historic lows and the Cypriot 10-year at 2.9%), we still see value in BOCH, even after a 200% gain over the past two years, supported by its relative value versus its Eurozone peers with similar earnings power, but weaker capital.
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
Lion Finance Group: lion takes a breather (downgraded to HOLD)
We have downgraded Lion Finance Group (BGEO) to HOLD, with a new price target (PT) of GBP 79.4. BGEO trades at 5.8x 2025E P/E and 1.5x P/TBV, which we see as fair, following a 114% USD return over the last 12M, and 566% over the past three years. After such a good earnings cycle, which leveraged on a superb macro backdrop, we see limited upside risk on our EPS forecasts and assumptions for the group’s long-term earnings power (ROTEs of 27% for Georgia and 22% for Armenia). We calculate that most...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – TBC Bank: 2Q25 results and conference call highlights
TBC has announced GEL 346m in net income (before minorities) for 2Q25, up 8% qoq and 5% yoy. This was 1% lower than our EUR 348m estimate and 3% lower than the GEL 358m consensus. The group-level results were in line, supported by an 8% beat in Georgia (GE), driven by a 40bps qoq NIM expansion and the NII coming in 8% above our estimate. That said, our overall bias on 2Q25 is negative, due to a significant 44% earnings miss in Uzbekistan (UZ) (our forecast at GEL 58m, vs. the GEL 32m actual UZ n...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – Bank of Cyprus: 2Q25 results highlights
Bank of Cyprus (BOCH) has reported EUR 118m in 2Q25 net income, 5% ahead of our EUR 113m estimate for the quarter. The 2Q25 bottom line brought the 6M25 net income to EUR 235m, suggesting meaningful upside risk for our EUR 393m 2025E estimate. Everything else being equal, we calculate that, if the sequential decline in the NII during 3Q25E and 4Q25E stays limited to the 2% qoq drop seen in 2Q25, there would be 10% upside for our 2025E net income estimate (pre-AT1 coupons). In 1H25, the bank also...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash - Halyk Savings Bank: acquires 49% of Uzbekistan’s Click
Halyk is acquiring a 49% stake in Click, Uzbekistan’s largest payments platform, with over 20m users, for USD 176m. In parallel, Click shareholders will take a 49% stake in Halyk’s Tenge Bank for USD 61m. We believe this is a positive deal, as Click can give Halyk the momentum and distribution channel it needs to grow in Uzbekistan’s vibrant retail banking market, in our view. The deal also has little EPS dilution and capital impact, according to our calculations. In addition, Click has aligned ...
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
TBC Bank: good run, approaching fair value (downgraded to HOLD)
We have downgraded TBC to HOLD (from Buy). Our valuation indicates 9% upside and 2025E target multiples of 7.5x P/E and 1.9x P/TBV from these levels (vs. the 6.9x and 1.7x market multiples). Our new price target (PT) is GBP 53.1 (from GBP 38.0). TBC’s stock has returned 93% in the past 12 months in USD terms, including reinvested dividends (and 682% in the past five years). A year ago, the bank was trading at 3.9x P/E and 1.1x P/TBV on our 2025E numbers, vs. 6.9x P/E and 1.7x P/TBV today. This p...
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
Greek Banks: take a bow (Alpha downgraded to HOLD, Eurobank stays HOLD...
The Greek banking index has risen by 53% (62% with dividends), driven by higher P/E multiples and EPS upgrades since our April 2024 reinitiation. In this report, we raise our average normalised EPS forecasts for the big four Greek banks under our coverage by 10% for 2025E and 11% for 2026E, due mainly to stronger fees and lower COR. Our NII estimates for 2025-26E remain broadly unchanged, despite the lower-than-expected interest rates. The banks have also maintained their 2025-27E targets in the...
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
Optima Bank: a touch of Midas, none of Icarus (BUY - initiation of cov...
We initiate coverage of Optima Bank (Optima) with a BUY and a 12M price target (PT) of EUR 18.5 (16.4% upside). Optima Bank is a small, emerging bank, financing corporates, almost exclusively, with a focus on SMEs. We believe that, despite the RRF loans and growing competition in the segment, Greek SMEs still lack adequate access to financing and, therefore, the demand for SME financing through traditional channels is likely to remain strong in the years to come. In this case, the opportunity fo...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – Bank of Cyprus: 1Q25 results highlights
Bank of Cyprus (BOCH) has posted EUR 117m in net income in 1Q25. This was 8% above our EUR108mn estimate, due mainly to the beat on other income. The bank does not guide quarterly, and there was no consensus estimate for the quarter. Overall, the quarter is not a game changer, but confirms our thesis (for further details, please see our recent report). BOCH has delivered an 18% ROTE, and we foresee its earnings power at a 17% ROTE when we normalise its CET1 to 15%. The bank did well on the volum...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – TBC Bank: 1Q25 results and conference call
TBC has reported 1Q25 net income of GEL 318m, falling 14% short of our estimate (GEL 372m) and 10% below the consensus forecast of GEL 352m. Total revenues missed our estimate by 5%. There was a small GEL 11m NII miss that was mitigated by a GEL 8m beat in fees. Trading and other income was 25% below expectations; however, this line is typically volatile. The more material and complex deviation was in provisions, which came in at GEL 118m vs. our GEL 83m expectation. The miss was related to a GE...
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
Halyk Bank: efficient frontier (stays BUY)
We have revised our estimates, raised our price target (PT) for Halyk Bank’s GDRs to USD 28.8 and maintained our BUY on the stock. Halyk remains undervalued and trades at 2.7x P/E and 0.8x P/TBV on our 2025E estimates (3.9x P/E and 1.2x P/TBV at target), with top-notch earnings power (ROTEs of 30-33% in our explicit forecast horizon) and efficiency (a 17% C/I), and ample capital (assets over equity at only 6x in 4Q24). We expect the dividend yield to remain in a range of 18-23% for 2025-27E. Bet...
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
Bank of Cyprus: income on tap, with rerating potential (stays BUY)
We have finetuned our estimates for Bank of Cyprus (BOCH) and rolled our model forward. We estimate a two-year IRR of around 16% on the stock, even without multiple expansion – a scenario we view as realistic, based on our valuation. BOCH is one of the best capitalised and most liquid banks in the Eurozone (a 49% L/D ratio and a 19.2% CET1 for BOCH vs. the 85% and 15.4% unweighted averages for SX7E). Recently, the bank upped its payout target to 70% (a 2025E total shareholder yield of 11% on the...
- Can Demir
- Miguel Dias
Turkish Banks: weather vs. climate (reinitiating on Akbank, Garanti, I...
Despite the near-term relief from expected rate cuts, we believe that the Turkish banks continue to operate in a structurally-challenging environment – characterised by cut-throat competition, stringent regulation, and bouts of macro uncertainty – where the risks to their long-term economic viability, particularly in the face of today’s high cost of capital, remain high. We would seek better entry points, which err on the side of caution regarding the banks’ long-term earnings power and do not r...
- Alessio Chiesa
- Can Demir
- Raffaella Tenconi
WOOD Flash – Georgia macro: insights on a Ukraine deal spillover to Ge...
Following the acceleration of a potential peace deal in Ukraine, Georgian assets have been among the top performers over the past month, reflecting the market’s optimism over the possible ceasefire or deal between Russia and the United States. From 21 January until today (18 February), Bank of Georgia (BUY, PT GBP 52.3) has gained 17%, while TBC Bank (BUY, PT GBP 38.0) has surged by 32%, outperforming the broader EM banks significantly and even the Polish WIG banks. While the market appears to b...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – Bank of Cyprus: 4Q24 results and 2025E guidance highlight...
Bank of Cyprus (BOCH) has reported EUR 108m in net income in 4Q24, 9% below our EUR 117m estimate for the quarter. The revenues were in line with our estimate and the NII also held up stronger than expected (7% higher than our estimate). The delta was due to the higher-than-expected provisions (EUR 20m higher). This includes a EUR 13m provision, which management has set aside for legacy litigation exposures. We understand that this provision is one-off in nature. The bank will return 50% of its ...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – TBC Bank: 4Q24 results and conference call
TBC has announced GEL 335m in net income for 4Q24. Before the one-off write-down of its Azerbaijan business, which is now held for sale, the net income stood at GEL 344m. The net income consensus was at GEL 325m (a 3% beat in reported and a 6% beat in adjusted terms), while our forecast was at GEL 317m (a 6% beat in reported and an 8% beat in adjusted terms). The beat was related mainly to the trading income (up 64% yoy in 4Q and +37% yoy in 12M24), as well as the somewhat lower than expected CO...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – Piraeus Financial Holdings: first take on potential Ethni...
Piraeus announced yesterday (6 February) that it has entered exclusive talks with CVC to acquire 70% of Ethniki Insurance, Greece’s largest insurer. While Ethniki’s 2024E financials are not out yet, based on the company’s 2023 adjusted ROTE and the announced EUR 469m price tag for 70% of the company, we estimate that Piraeus will pay between 8-9x P/E and 1.3-1.6x P/TBV for 2024E. According to Bloomberg, Piraeus is trading at 0.65x P/BV and 5.3x P/E multiples for 2024E. The bank expects a CET1 im...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – Bank of Cyprus: 3Q24 highlights
Bank of Cyprus (BOCH) announced EUR 130m in net income in 3Q24, bringing the 9M24 figure to EUR 401m. The bank grew its net income by 15% in 9M24 and had a ROTE of c.25%, with an 18.5% CET1. In our view, the 9M24 trends indicate upside risk for our 2024E and 2025E estimates. We believe that the market is still pricing in a tough long-term ROE scenario for BOCH, with 0.8x P/TBV and 4.3x P/E, on our 2024E estimates (not updated post 3Q24), which we believe is not on the horizon, with the current E...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash – TBC Bank: 3Q24 results and conference call
TBC has announced net income of GEL 347m for 3Q24 (GEL 340m after the Uzbekistan minorities). The bank’s 3Q24 net income was 18% above our estimate (GEL 295m) and 9% above the consensus (GEL 318m). In 3Q24 and 9M24, TBC grew its bottom line by 14% yoy. The 3Q24 beat was driven by the NII (GEL 18m higher than our estimate and GEL 9m higher than the consensus) and fees (GEL 18m higher than our estimate and GEL 19m higher than the consensus), as well as strong trading income, up nearly 50% yoy. The...
- Can Demir
WOOD Flash: Bank of Cyprus - relists on the ATHEX - change of PT curre...
We have changed the currency of our price target (PT) for Bank of Cyprus from GBP to EUR, as the company has delisted its GBP-denominated quoted stock on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and relisted on the Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX). Our new EUR-denominated PT for Bank of Cyprus is EUR 5.83 (GBP 4.90 previously). The company’s new Bloomberg ticker on the ATHEX is BOCHGR GA.
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