UK domestic banks attractive despite budget uncertainty - UBS
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UK DOMESTIC BANKS ATTRACTIVE DESPITE BUDGET UNCERTAINTY - UBS
Investors are waiting until the new UK budget is revealed on October 30 for clarity, amid concern that the government may increase taxes on certain sectors, say UBS analysts in a note.
And if such taxes do not materialise, they say domestic banks could be in store for a 5% lift.
The UK investment landscape is in focus this morning, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke at the International Investment Summit in London, and will remain so this month, with just a few weeks until Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers the Autumn Budget.
"If a tax is announced and shares sell off, investors who believe banks have pricing power could, we think, look to accumulate the stocks on the assumption that an industry-wide increase in input costs will find its way into spreads in time, leaving aggregate returns unchanged," the UBS note read.
And those investors who don't believe in pricing power? They might revisit their view on the attractiveness of the industry overall, says UBS.
Uncertainty around Oct 30. in part explains the c.13% discount at which UK banks trade to their Eurozone peers says UBS, despite a consensus view that UK domestic lenders have lower risks of substantially lower terminal policy rates than Eurozone peers.
This valuation discount is one reason UBS likes UK banks, along with their expectations for revenue growth against a backdrop of a strengthening economy, driven by rate cuts.
"While the 30 October budget involves near-term uncertainty, given concerns around potential increased taxes, trading at a 13% P/E discount - at 5.9x 2026E EPS - to a sector we think is good value at 6.8x EPS, we retain a positive stance," write the analysts.
Barclays BARC.L and NatWest NWG.L are UBS's top large cap domestic picks, Paragon PAGPA.L their top mid cap and StanChart STAN.L their favoured international bank.
(Lucy Raitano)
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