Nairobi: July 2011


Mid Tier Banks: Q1 Performance Review


1-Jul-11

Company







Market Capitalization

Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank

19,401,416

NIC Bank

17,276,768

CFC Stanbic Bank

13,957,895

National Bank

9,520,000






Q1 2010
Q1 2011
Change




Operating Income
Shs'000
Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank
1,468,001
2,032,158
38%
NIC Bank
1,115,301
1,430,642
28%
CFC Stanbic Bank
2,124,087
2,125,355
0%
National Bank
1,478,313
1,870,549
27%




Operating Expenses
Shs'000
Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank
930,095
1,152,652
24%
NIC Bank
586,130
627,304
7%
CFC Stanbic Bank
1,260,696
1,619,058
28%
National Bank
992,144
1,403,386
41%




Profit Before Tax
Shs'000
Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank
537,906
879,506
64%
NIC Bank
529,171
803,338
52%
CFC Stanbic Bank
863,391
506,297
-41%
National Bank
486,169
467,163
-4%




Taxation
Shs'000
Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank
182,281
298,818
64%
NIC Bank
171,491
253,224
48%
CFC Stanbic Bank
299,723
158,958
-47%
National Bank
155,574
235,687
51%




Effective Tax Rate



Diamond Trust Bank
34%
34%
0%
NIC Bank
32%
32%
-3%
CFC Stanbic Bank
35%
31%
-10%
National Bank
32%
50%
58%




Profit After Tax
Shs'000
Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank
355,625
580,688
63%
NIC Bank
357,680
550,114
54%
CFC Stanbic Bank
563,668
347,339
-38%
National Bank
330,595
231,476
-30%




Cost to Income Ratio



Diamond Trust Bank
63.36%
56.72%
-10%
NIC Bank
52.55%
43.85%
-17%
CFC Stanbic Bank
59.35%
76.18%
28%
National Bank
67.11%
75.03%
12%




Total Assets
Shs'000
Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank
72,097,527
88,492,884
23%
NIC Bank
52,377,518
63,775,492
22%
CFC Stanbic Bank
99,815,014
112,039,767
12%
National Bank
56,366,477
67,817,019
20%




Total Equity
Shs'000
Shs'000

Diamond Trust Bank
8,399,300
10,910,803
30%
NIC Bank
7,155,191
8,919,167
25%
CFC Stanbic Bank
9,109,389
10,112,409
11%
National Bank
8,238,285
10,161,084
23%




Return on Equity (Annualized)



Diamond Trust Bank
16.94%
21.29%
26%
NIC Bank
20.00%
24.67%
23%
CFC Stanbic Bank
24.75%
13.74%
-44%
National Bank
16.05%
9.11%
-43%




Price to Earnings Ratio (Q1 2011 Annualized)
Diamond Trust Bank

8.35

NIC Bank

7.85

CFC Stanbic Bank

10.05

National Bank

10.28





Price to book value



Diamond Trust Bank

1.78

NIC Bank

1.94

CFC Stanbic Bank

1.38

National Bank

0.94



Analytical Summary

Performance
Diamond Trust Bank and NIC Bank had a very strong first quarter in 2011. CFC Stanbic and National Bank of Kenya posted weak results over the same period. Diamond Trust Bank was the best performer, growing income much faster than expenses. 


NIC Bank was the most effective in containing costs. NIC Bank's operating costs increased marginally; the cost income ratio fell to 43.85%, the lowest of the four by a wide margin.


CFC Stanbic Bank costs increased while income stagnated. The higher costs have been attributed to a steep increase the number of expatriate staff. Income growth has been flat even after an increase in total assets. Income on commissions and gains on bond trading fell off compared to q1 2010.

Valuation
All the banks are cheap with PE ratios of 10 and below. NIC Bank is the cheapest on a pure PE basis, but Diamond Trust Bank has a greater growth momentum and is likely to offer better value in the medium term.


CFC Stanbic is potentially a great buy for long term value investors. CFC Stanbic Bank has a much lower Price to Book value compared to NIC and Diamond Trust. CFC Bank is still ahead of the pack by revenues and total assets. A fall in expenses (on redeployment of the expatriate staff) and a recovery in non-interest income will catapult the bank to the top in terms of profits.


While National Bank is cheap, there is uncertainty on the conversation rate of preference shares once a decision is made by the government to exit the bank. An unfavorable conversion rate will adversely affect the existing ordinary shareholders.