Financials & FinTech research, Galliano’s Financials Research

Victor Galliano

Financials & FinTech research

Financials & FinTech, EM & Developed Markets

Galliano’s Financials Research

Galliano's Financials Research provides fundamental research in Emerging Markets financials, including FinTech, as well as financials in select Developed Markets.

The investment style applied is generally value oriented, although Growth At Reasonable Price (GARP) strategies can also be used where appropriate. 

Our investment research approach aim is often contrarian, looking to capitalise on overly sceptical or optimistic consensus views. In terms of valuation techniques, the focus is on PBV ratio to ROE, PE multiples and dividend yield, as well as the application of PEG ratios and, where appropriate, Sum of the Parts (SOTP) valuations.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>The elephant in the Italian bank M&amp;A room is government controlled <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/banca-monte-dei-paschi-di-siena" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21162:1" rel="noopener">Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS IM)</a>, which needs to find a merger partner in 2021; will that be <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unicredit-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21234:1" rel="noopener">UniCredit SpA (UCG IM)</a>, post-Mustier, and who could be its new CEO?</li>
<li>We believe that, in the event of a Unicredit acquisition of BMPS, it would require meaningful “government sponsorship”; in effect, for BMPS, pre-deal, to dispose of the bulk of its NPLs – which is underway – and for a capital infusion that renders the deal to be capital neutral for Unicredit</li>
<li>The other big M&amp;A unknowns relate to the listed mid-cap banks especially <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/banco-bpm-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28121:1" rel="noopener">Banco BPM SpA (BAMI IM)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bper-banca-s-p-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21165:1" rel="noopener">BPER Banca S.p.A (BPE IM)</a>; these banks need to cut costs and branch networks, which can be more readily incorporated into a merger restructuring plan</li>
<li>We believe that the risk of a BMPS acquisition is largely priced into Unicredit shares, and we expect its wide PBV discount to premium valued <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/intesa-sanpaolo-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21200:1" rel="noopener">Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP IM)</a> to narrow;  our recommendation is to go long Unicredit, short Intesa</li>
<li>We think <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/credit-agricole-sa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21373:1" rel="noopener">Credit Agricole Sa (ACA FP)</a> is unlikely to sweeten the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/credito-valtellinese-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21175:1" rel="noopener">Credito Valtellinese Sc (CVAL IM)</a> cash offer of €10.50 per share, and with CreVal shares trading at a 7% offer premium, there could be downside risk</li>
<li>We remain negative on Banco BPM shares, as, in the wake of the CredAg offer for CreVal, we believe that BPM’s options are limited, and that it may be the potential “back-stop” merger candidate with BMPS, in the event of no deal with Unicredit; the alternative could be a BPM-BPER merger, and we turn constructive on BPER, after its protracted underperformance</li>
<li>Risks to our view include Unicredit acquiring BMPS on worse than expected terms, with Intesa on the other hand delivering better than expected synergies and savings from the UBI integration; other risks also include a bidder emerging for BPM, as well as no merger or bid for BPER</li>
</ul>


The elephant in the Italian bank M&amp;A room is government controlled Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS IM), which needs to find a merger partner in 2021; will that be UniCredit SpA (UCG IM), post-Mustier, and who could be its new CEO?
We believe that, in the event of a Unicredit acquisition of BMPS, it would require meaningful “government sponsorship”; in effect, for BMPS, pre-deal, to dispose of the bulk of its NPLs – which is underway – and for a capital infusion that renders the deal to be capital neutral for Unicredit
The other big M&amp;A unknowns relate to the listed mid-cap banks especially Banco BPM SpA (BAMI IM) and BPER Banca S.p.A (BPE IM); these banks need to cut costs and branch networks, which can be more readily incorporated into a merger restructuring plan
We believe that the risk of a BMPS acquisition is largely priced into Unicredit shares, and we expect its wide PBV discount to premium valued Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP IM) to narrow;  our recommendation is to go long Unicredit, short Intesa
We think Credit Agricole Sa (ACA FP) is unlikely to sweeten the Credito Valtellinese Sc (CVAL IM) cash offer of €10.50 per share, and with CreVal shares trading at a 7% offer premium, there could be downside risk
We remain negative on Banco BPM shares, as, in the wake of the CredAg offer for CreVal, we believe that BPM’s options are limited, and that it may be the potential “back-stop” merger candidate with BMPS, in the event of no deal with Unicredit; the alternative could be a BPM-BPER merger, and we turn constructive on BPER, after its protracted underperformance
Risks to our view include Unicredit acquiring BMPS on worse than expected terms, with Intesa on the other hand delivering better than expected synergies and savings from the UBI integration; other risks also include a bidder emerging for BPM, as well as no merger or bid for BPER


Italian Banks M&A Scenarios: The Italian Job in 2021

European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Event-Driven

<ul class="">
<li>The new CaixaBank has established the composition of its Board of directors, which will be the largest domestic bank in Spain.</li>
<li> The independent expert (BDO) has endorsed the exchange ratio,
<ul>
<li>
0.6845 new CaixaBank shares for each Bankia share.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The FROB believes that the operation will have a positive effect on the recovery of the aid.</li>
</ul>
I recommend keeping an eye on the spread.
<ul>
<li>It closed on 27 October at 1.66% (gross), not far from the maximum reached on 20 October of 1.73%, and in any case an interesting level for a deal that will certainly close (est. March 2021).
</li>
</ul>
Further catalysts post-merger are (increased) dividend payouts and the exit in the short to medium term of the Kingdom of Spain from the capital of the merged entity.
M&amp;A consolidation seems as a reasonable way to reduce costs and protect profits. These can be among domestic banks or, much to the liking of the ECB, between banks domiciled in different EU countries that share common markets, and would create European champions (see list of banks that appear in many rumours at the end of the note).


The new CaixaBank has established the composition of its Board of directors, which will be the largest domestic bank in Spain.
 The independent expert (BDO) has endorsed the exchange ratio,


0.6845 new CaixaBank shares for each Bankia share.


The FROB believes that the operation will have a positive effect on the recovery of the aid.

I recommend keeping an eye on the spread.

It closed on 27 October at 1.66% (gross), not far from the maximum reached on 20 October of 1.73%, and in any case an interesting level for a deal that will certainly close (est. March 2021).


Further catalysts post-merger are (increased) dividend payouts and the exit in the short to medium term of the Kingdom of Spain from the capital of the merged entity.
M&amp;A consolidation seems as a reasonable way to reduce costs and protect profits. These can be among domestic banks or, much to the liking of the ECB, between banks domiciled in different EU countries that share common markets, and would create European champions (see list of banks that appear in many rumours at the end of the note).

Bankia - CaixaBank: Merger in Progress, Spread Attractive

Research and consultancy, Tabbush Report

Daniel Tabbush

Research and consultancy

Tabbush Report

We provide research and consultancy on Asian banks. Our focus is on what we call “Asian bank research, without the noise.” We are interested in the most critical swing-factors for banks, the NPL and credit cycle, and where we believe there is a gap between perception and reality. We often focus on the less studied components of bank financial statements.  Our research is highly thematic, sometimes examining unlisted banks and companies as a window on mainstream banks. 

Being independent allows us to look at smaller banks, often overlooked by others. Analysis of BIS bank guidelines in the context of Asia, is also a focal point, while we also analyze global banks operating in the region. We use what we believe is the most comprehensive, reliable financials database, SNL Financial. S&P Capital IQ augments our database, with corporate data and CEIC, with economics. 

Asian bank research, without the noise.

The European Central Bank (ECB) provided EUR1.3tr to banks at a negative interest rate, to promote, to push lending, to support economies, companies, consumers. We know from how central banks and governments are responding to the impact of shutdown, that at the margin they are doing more. Banks are the core of this, with the likely impact being better margins and volume. Where margins are incredibly low for some EU banks, this new facility can provide a sizable delta to net interest income. In turn, this helps support credit costs, which for most regions are being pushed out longer, being phased in over many more months, and unlike what was first anticipated, announced early in the year.

The European Central Bank (ECB) provided EUR1.3tr to banks at a negative interest rate, to promote, to push lending, to support economies, companies, consumers. We know from how central banks and governments are responding to the impact of shutdown, that at the margin they are doing more. Banks are the core of this, with the likely impact being better margins and volume. Where margins are incredibly low for some EU banks, this new facility can provide a sizable delta to net interest income. In turn, this helps support credit costs, which for most regions are being pushed out longer, being phased in over many more months, and unlike what was first anticipated, announced early in the year.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Italian banks have big challenges, exacerbated by the covid-19 crisis</li>
<li>Now the European Commission is putting forward a recovery package, with Italy as one of the key beneficiaries, and with Italy also seeming to emerge from the worst of the crisis</li>
<li>This is by no means a panacea, but it is already leading to a tightening of BTP-Bund spreads</li>
<li>In addition, investors appear to be rotating into value and out of growth stocks, given the extreme valuation differentials between the two</li>
<li>In light of these factors, we highlight <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unicredit-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21234:1" rel="noopener">UniCredit SpA (UCG IM)</a>  and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/banco-bpm-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28121:1" rel="noopener">Banco BPM SpA (BAMI IM)</a> as our preferred deep value picks in Italian banks</li>
<li>Risks to our view include a worse-than-expected economic outlook with a long slow recovery, impacting NPLs adversely and the Italian banks’ ability to deliver positive returns</li>
</ul>


Italian banks have big challenges, exacerbated by the covid-19 crisis
Now the European Commission is putting forward a recovery package, with Italy as one of the key beneficiaries, and with Italy also seeming to emerge from the worst of the crisis
This is by no means a panacea, but it is already leading to a tightening of BTP-Bund spreads
In addition, investors appear to be rotating into value and out of growth stocks, given the extreme valuation differentials between the two
In light of these factors, we highlight UniCredit SpA (UCG IM)  and Banco BPM SpA (BAMI IM) as our preferred deep value picks in Italian banks
Risks to our view include a worse-than-expected economic outlook with a long slow recovery, impacting NPLs adversely and the Italian banks’ ability to deliver positive returns


Italian Banks: Value Picks in a Time of Crisis

<ul>
<li>The ECB is holding talks with Eurozone lenders with regards to dividends, according to Bloomberg, in order to attempt to preserve capital during the coronavirus crisis</li>
<li>Many European banks are high dividend yielding, and an important element of equity income funds; in some cases, bank dividend payouts are also very high</li>
<li>Our main screen is based on European banks' dividend yields versus dividend cover, in which we try to identify those European banks most at risk of potential dividend cuts</li>
<li>We recognize that consensus earnings estimates are subject to change, but we see this exercise as a starting point; we intend to revisit this exercise further down the line when there will hopefully be more clarity</li>
<li>We see <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/intesa-sanpaolo-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21200:1" rel="noopener">Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP IM)</a> as one of the most exposed European banks to a dividend cut amongst our coverage; also among the Italians, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mediobanca-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21205:1" rel="noopener">Mediobanca SpA (MB IM)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unione-di-banche-italiane-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21233:1" rel="noopener">Unione Di Banche Italiane (UBI IM)</a> are higher risk</li>
<li>Also not out of the woods are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unicredit-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21234:1" rel="noopener">UniCredit SpA (UCG IM)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/banco-bpm-spa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28121:1" rel="noopener">Banco BPM SpA (BAMI IM)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/banca-popolare-dell-emilia-rom" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21165:1" rel="noopener">Banca Popolare Dell'Emilia Rom (BPE IM)</a> even though they seem less exposed to dividend cuts</li>
<li>Risks to our bearish view on Intesa's dividend outlook include better than expected credit quality limiting the adverse impact on cost of risk, as well as better than expected fee generation and very stringent cost control all serving to counter earnings pressures</li>
</ul>


The ECB is holding talks with Eurozone lenders with regards to dividends, according to Bloomberg, in order to attempt to preserve capital during the coronavirus crisis
Many European banks are high dividend yielding, and an important element of equity income funds; in some cases, bank dividend payouts are also very high
Our main screen is based on European banks' dividend yields versus dividend cover, in which we try to identify those European banks most at risk of potential dividend cuts
We recognize that consensus earnings estimates are subject to change, but we see this exercise as a starting point; we intend to revisit this exercise further down the line when there will hopefully be more clarity
We see Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP IM) as one of the most exposed European banks to a dividend cut amongst our coverage; also among the Italians, Mediobanca SpA (MB IM) and Unione Di Banche Italiane (UBI IM) are higher risk
Also not out of the woods are UniCredit SpA (UCG IM) , Banco BPM SpA (BAMI IM) and Banca Popolare Dell'Emilia Rom (BPE IM) even though they seem less exposed to dividend cuts
Risks to our bearish view on Intesa's dividend outlook include better than expected credit quality limiting the adverse impact on cost of risk, as well as better than expected fee generation and very stringent cost control all serving to counter earnings pressures


European Banks: Dividends in a Time of Crisis

Italy

BPER Banca S.p.A is a cooperative bank that operates branches throughout Italy.  The Bank attracts deposits and offers loans, credit cards, pension plans, investment funds, insurance, and asset management and online trading services.

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BPER Banca S.p.A (BPE IM)

Italian Banks M&A Scenarios: The Italian Job in 2021

Italian banks M&A is gathering and we take a largely contrarian stance on stocks; pairs trade long Unicredit, short Intesa; positive on BPER,...

Victor Galliano

Bankia - CaixaBank: Merger in Progress, Spread Attractive

I recommend keeping an eye on the spread. It closed today (27 October) at a gross 1.66%, an interesting level for a deal that will certainly close...

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

European Banks – Paid to Lend

The European Central Bank (ECB) provided EUR1.3tr to banks at a negative interest rate, to promote, to push lending, to support economies,...

Daniel Tabbush

Italian Banks: Value Picks in a Time of Crisis

Italian banks have big challenges, exacerbated by the covid-19 crisis Now the European Commission is putting forward a recovery package, with...

Victor Galliano

European Banks: Dividends in a Time of Crisis

The ECB is holding talks with Eurozone lenders with regards to dividends, according to Bloomberg, in order to attempt to preserve capital during...

Victor Galliano

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