Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Citi stays 'overweight' European banks; HSBC, Intesa and NatWest 'top picks'

(Sharecast News) - Citi highlighted HSBC, Intesa and NatWest as its top picks in the banking sector on Friday as it maintained its 'overweight' rating on European banks. "Valuations are starting to look more stretched versus history but still look cheap versus other sectors and an all-in capital return yield of circa 8% is still highly attractive," the bank said.

It said relative earnings momentum is particularly healthy, with 8% consensus earnings per share upgrades year-to-date, driven by non-NII & costs, whereas other European sectors are still suffering downgrades.

"While this divergence continues, we expect sector rotation to persist," it said.

Naming its top picks, Citi said it prefer to own names that are "yet to re-rate as sharply as peers, and offer EPS upgrade potential and attractive yields".

For its least preferred stocks - Deutsche Bank, SHB and UBS - Citi said it had focused on names that have re-rated too quickly, or have weaker EPS momentum and where it sees future downside risk to consensus EPS estimates.

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

GSK gets preliminary nod for two respiratory drugs in Europe
(Sharecast News) - GSK said on Friday afternoon that two of its respiratory medicines had received positive opinions from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, bringing the company closer to potential approvals across severe asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Shore Capital hails improved US biotech funding environment for hVIVO
(Sharecast News) - Shares in AIM-listed hVIVO were continuing their recent surge on the back of encouraging signs from the US biotech market, which broker Shore Capital said has created a "much more favourable environment" for the company.
Weir to buy remaining 50% stake in Chile JV ESEL for £56m
(Sharecast News) - Weir said on Friday that it has agreed to buy the remaining 50% share of its Chile-based joint venture ESEL for a sterling equivalent purchase price of £56m.
Jefferies downgrades Whitbread, upgrades IHG
(Sharecast News) - Jefferies downgraded Whitbread to 'hold' from 'buy' on Friday as it applied the reverse upgrade to InterContinental Hotels.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.