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On Wednesday, BofA Securities analyst Tarik El Mejjad revised the rating for DNB ASA (OTC:DNBBY) (DNB:NO) (OTC: DNHBY), lifting it from Underperform to Buy and increasing the price target significantly to NOK297.00 from the previous NOK217.00. The adjustment reflects a potential 22% upside, or a 33% increase when including expected capital returns.
El Mejjad’s optimism about DNB is based on several factors. Firstly, he predicts that DNB’s net interest income (NII) will grow faster than all Nordic and most European peers. Additionally, he anticipates a return to robust capital returns, highlighted by a probable restart of the company’s share buyback (SBB) program in the third quarter of 2025. Furthermore, the analyst points to a surge in Norwegian loan growth compared to the stagnating growth observed in Europe.
The revised outlook includes an increase in the estimated earnings per share (EPS) for 2025 and 2026 by BofA Securities, with a 16% and 25% rise, respectively. Return on tangible equity (ROTE) projections are also elevated by 2.1 and 2.8 percentage points, reaching 16.7% and 16.3% for the respective years. El Mejjad’s analysis suggests that DNB’s valuation is attractive, trading at 8 times price-to-earnings (P/E) and 1.3 times price-to-tangible book value (P/TBV), with an anticipated yield of 11% in 2026.
DNB’s stock performance has been modest in comparison to its peers over the last six months, with a 10% increase. This has been attributed to subdued expectations for net interest income, lower capital returns, and a less favorable view of the Norwegian market. However, with the reversal of these trends as forecasted by BofA Securities, DNB’s financial outlook appears more favorable.
The improved rating and price target by BofA Securities indicate a significant shift in expectations for DNB’s financial performance and market position in the coming years.
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