Street Calls of the Week
Investing.com - Piper Sandler views the recent sell-off in bank stocks following fraud-related disclosures as an opportunistic buying opportunity, according to research published Friday. This sentiment aligns with broader banking sector indicators, where many established banks like Regions Financial (RF) are trading at attractive valuations with P/E ratios around 11.5x and P/B ratios of 1.2x. InvestingPro data shows several major banks currently have "Good" financial health scores, suggesting strong fundamentals despite market concerns.
The investment firm analyzed Non-Depository Financial Institution (NDFI) loan exposures for banks with more than $10 billion in assets following disclosures from Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ:ZION) and Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) related to fraud situations. For deeper insights into bank valuations and risk metrics, InvestingPro offers comprehensive analysis of over 1,400 financial institutions, including detailed financial health scores and risk indicators.
Zions recorded a $60 million loan loss provision that includes $50 million of net charge-offs for a fraudulent relationship, while Western Alliance reaffirmed in a recent 8-K filing that collateral and personal guarantees exist to make it whole.
Piper Sandler emphasized that not all banks mentioned in the complaints will take losses, noting that Banc of California’s (NYSE:BANC) related risk of loss is "nonexistent" and the firm expects the company to report solid third-quarter results next week.
The research firm attributed the sell-off to technical factors such as "de-grossing" and the banking group falling out of favor, rather than fundamental issues, stating that fraud "happens and is not necessarily systemic within bank NDFI portfolios."
In other recent news, Regions Financial Corp. reported an 11% growth in earnings per share for the third quarter of 2025. The company’s adjusted earnings per share reached $0.63, surpassing analyst estimates of $0.60. This performance was attributed to solid revenue growth and improved asset quality metrics. These developments highlight the company’s financial strength and operational efficiency. Despite the positive earnings report, the company’s shares experienced a slight dip in pre-market trading. The financial community continues to monitor Regions Financial closely for further updates.
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