JP Morgan’s Analysis of Nigerian Banks
JP Morgan recently prepared an extensive report analyzing the top Nigerian banks.You can read the report here.JPM Nigerian Banks Research Report (83)
The major points are:
- Nigerian banks appear expensive on a relative and absolute basis
- Nigerian banks’ earnings growth is likely to outstip most other emerging markets over the next few years
- Nigeria is one of the riskier emerging markets
- The P/E ratio is expected to converge to other emerging markets
- Oceanic bank is rated as a lower quality/high risk operation compared to its peers
- GTB is the top pick as it is the only bank of the top 7 offering positive share price performance on a 12 month view while First Bank and Intercontinental are the least preferred of the top banks
- Zenith and GTB have the higest quality operations while Union Bank has the lowest quality operation
- Concerned that the risk management capability at Oceanic and Intercontinental Banks have not kept pace with their robust growth
- Expect an average negative return of 21% for the top 7 Nigerian banks
Strengths
- Continued strong economic growth and sustained high oil prices
- Improving regulatory environment
- Presently well capitalised
- Increasing breadth of operations lowers risk to earnings because of diversification benefits
- Senior management teams at all teh banks are experienced bankers
- Weaknesses
- Lack of nationala identification system and lack of clearly functioning credit bureau
- Significant and widening gap between Nigerian banks and their international pairs in terms of valuation
- Untest risk controls
- Banks are a major portion of the NSE
- Lack of cross-border consolidated supervision
Opportunities
- Low penetration rates as evidenced by low deposit to GDP and loan to GDP ratios
- PPP projects to fund infrastructure spend
- Growth in retail segment
- More efficient capital structures
- Continued penetration of low cost retail deposits
- Improved efficiency
Threats
- Increasing competition has squeezed net interest margins
- Consolidation
- Growing NPLs
- Dependence on local investors
- Many of the banks depend on a few senior executives