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Investing.com - Citi has raised its price target on RBL Bank Ltd (NSE:RATB). (NSE:RBK) to INR300 from INR285 while maintaining a Buy rating, citing resilient return on assets despite margin pressure.
The bank’s contained credit costs below 2% and a 23% tax rate offset a 39 basis point fall in net interest margin and an over 8% quarter-on-quarter increase in operating expenses, according to Citi’s analysis. Despite these challenges, RBL Bank achieved a return on assets of 0.56%, exceeding Citi’s expectations.
Citi highlighted several positive developments, including reduced stress in the joint liability group segment where slippages and special mention account pools improved. The bank has also created a 1% contingency buffer as a prudent measure.
RBL Bank management indicated that net interest margins have bottomed out in the first quarter, with the bulk of yield repricing behind it while cost of deposit benefits will flow through. The bank expects to improve its net interest margin to 4.8% by the fourth quarter from the current 4.5%.
Citi revised its earnings estimates for RBL Bank by 4% and 2% for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 respectively, factoring in a lower net interest margin profile and higher operating expenses. The new price target of INR300 represents a valuation of 1x December 2026 book value.
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