Introduction to Banking Stocks

Banking stocks are considered to be heavyweight sectors as they have major contributions to the Nifty and Sensex indexes. They form an important part of India"s economy and are a prominent player among financial services firms.

In India, which is still a savings oriented economy, banks still play a major role in the country’s financial growth. Huge deposit growth coupled with a rising credit demand has pushed stocks in this sector to furnish record returns for investors.

Features of banking stocks

Strict RBI Regulations

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the banking regulator in India and decides the interest rates and also regulates the inner workings of all the banks working in India.

Huge Market Capitalization

Many of India's leading banks are among the largest corporations listed on the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange by market capitalization, demonstrating their importance to the economy.

Tough Competition

India's banking business is highly competitive, with many private and public sector and cooperative banks competing for market share. This might result in fierce pricing competitiveness and profit margin pressure.

Influence of Interest rates

Banks in India earn their income from the difference between interest earned on loans and interest spent on deposits.

Details of top banking stocks

Bank stocks are among the largest stocks and the most profitable stocks to hold due to their large size and 'too large to fail' businesses. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, SBI and Kotak Mahindra Bank are examples of top banking names in India.

The Nifty Banking Index and BSE Banking Index track the performance of these types of stocks.

Let’s see what makes these the top banking stocks of India.

Why is HDFC Bank a top banking stock?

With a market cap of roughly Rs 9,27,130 crores, HDFC Bank is the biggest private bank in India. Moreover, in its latest quarterly results net profits rose by 20.6% from the previous year to Rs 12,594.5 crores. Apart from this, the lender has witnessed a steady decline in Non-performing assets over the years along with a continuous expansion in the balance sheet in the form of healthy loans and deposits growth. Thus, because of these reasons HDFC Bank is touted as a top banking stock in India.

Why is ICICI Bank a top banking stock?

ICICI Bank commands a market cap of roughly 6,26,000 crores, making it one of the largest private banks in India. The bank reported a 10.3% yearly rise in deposits to Rs 11,22,049 crores for the year ended Dec 31, 2022 while total loans witnessed a 19.7% yearly rise to Rs 9,74,047 crores. Notably, ICICI Bank has also displayed the ability to reduce its NPAs over the years consistently along with a rise in key return ratios like Return on Assets (RoA). Further, the bank had a network of 5,718 branches and 13,186 ATMs at December 31, 2022 which showcased its physical presence

Why is SBI a top banking stock?

SBI has a market cap of roughly Rs 4,86,000 crores, making it one of the largest banks in India. Moreover, it is the largest PSU bank in India. In its latest quarterly results for the Oct - Dec ‘22 period, the lender reported its highest ever profits at Rs 14,205 crores, clocking a growth of 68.5% from the previous year. Notably, over the past five years, the SBI share price has appreciated by more than 125%.

How to evaluate Banking stocks?

• Asset quality

  IT shares are highly sensitive to interest rate changes. An investor in IT stocks must have an understanding of local market interest rates as well as international interest rates to judge the future course of IT stocks.

• Interest Rates

  Most IT stocks like TCS, Infosys have majority of their income come from the US and Europe and not from India. The performance of the dollar and the euro also hold a significant influence on IT stocks

• Business Performance

  Like any other stock, it is imperative to judge and know how any company has performed over the past quarters to have a strong prediction of future share prices.

• P/B Ratio

  One of the most important metrics that should be considered when evaluating a banking stock is its P/B ratio. Book value is the difference between a company’s assets and liabilities. Consequently, the P/B ratio takes a bank’s assets and liabilities into account and assesses it with respect to its price. It gives us an idea about the riskiness of the banking stock and its relative valuation compared to its peers.

Who should invest in banking stocks?

Banking stocks are considered to be stable in the long run. Investors having a longer investment horizon can invest in such stocks.

Investors who are also interested in stocks as a steady income source can also have a higher allocation towards banking stocks as they generally pay consistent dividends.

Investing in banking stocks can help diversify your portfolio, especially if you are already heavily invested in other sectors like technology or healthcare.