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Investing.com -- Shares of three major U.S. banks slipped Monday after HSBC adopted a more cautious stance on the sector.
HSBC downgraded JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America in a note on Tuesday.
The firm cut JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to Reduce from Hold and lowered Bank of America to Hold from Buy, even as it raised price targets across the board.
Goldman Sachs shares fell 2.2%, JPMorgan dropped 3.3%, and Bank of America slid 3.4% in early trading.
In a note to clients, HSBC analysts wrote, “Operating fundamentals appear healthy; valuations increasingly stretched.”
They cited a 35% rally in universal banks and brokers over the past three months and warned that “downside risks associated with macro uncertainty are not priced in.”
While acknowledging improvements in credit quality, investment banking activity, and a favorable regulatory backdrop, HSBC noted that “macro uncertainties remain and possible interest rate cuts… and slower economic growth seem to be downplayed.”
The firm highlighted that universal banks “no longer trade at historically elevated PE discounts to the S&P 500.”
On Bank of America specifically, HSBC said, “We see limited upside to our new target price after the 32% rally in the past 3 months.”
For JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, the HSBC analysts said they are not adopting a more negative view of operating fundamentals, but “nonetheless see unattractive risk-to-reward profiles.
For Goldman Sachs, HSBC believes “the absence of a material increase in IB activity over a sustained period and/or a cool down in market performance could lead to disappointment and a correction.”
Despite the downgrades, HSBC remains more constructive on super-regional banks, maintaining Citigroup (NYSE:C) as its sole Buy among the universal peers. The firm added that its second-quarter EPS estimates for Bank of America, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) are below consensus.