4 Stocks This Week (Local Banks) [11 September 2021] DBS; OCBC; UOB; iFAST

With Singapore's economy officially in a recession, it comes down as no surprise that our local banks will also be seeing a drop in their net profit this year. The star performers for a lot of local investors over the past few years, the three local banks – DBS, OCBC & UOB – are also the top 3 components of the Straits Times Index, accounting for close to 40% of the index.

Earlier this year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) called on local banks to cap their dividends at 60% of FY2021, and also to offer shareholders the option of receiving the dividends to be paid for FY2021 in scrip (i.e. shares) rather than cash. This is a prudent move, as dividend restriction, for just one year at least, will bolster the banks' resilience and capacity to support other businesses in this period.

In this week's edition of 4 Stocks This Week, we recap the performance of those locals banks for 1H2021.

DBS Group Holdings (SGX: D05)

Singapore's largest bank is also the country's biggest company by market capitalisation.

For 1H2021, DBS recorded an internet profit of $2.41 billion, down about 25.9% compared to the same period in 2021. DBS also recorded a slight growth of 1.0% in its Net Interest Income at $4.79 billion. Net interest income refers back to the difference between the revenue generated from loans that a bank provides to borrowers, when compared to interest cost that the bank will pay for the funds.

In line with MAS request for local banks to cap their dividends at 60% of FY2021, DBS paid out $0.18 in dividends for 2Q2021, which is 60% of the $0.30 they paid in 2Q2021.

Since the 24 February to 23 March 2021 stock exchange crash when DBS went from $24.85 to $16.88 during a 30-day period, DBS has bounced back. It's now trading at $20.51 as of 11 September 2021. With a market capitalisation of approximately $52.5 billion, the company is currently trading at a price-to-earning (PE) ratio of 9.588.

OCBC (SGX: O39)

For 1H2021, OCBC recorded a net profit of about $1.43 billion, down 41.8% compared to the same period in 2021. This is actually the largest decline in net profit in 1H2021 among the three local banks. Its net interest income remains comparable as 2H2021 at $3.11 billion.

OCBC typically pays dividends twice yearly (Interim and Final). Because of its interim dividend in 2021, it's offering $0.159 per share and investors can opt to receive it in cash or via scrip. Since 23 March 2021, OCBC share price has increased from $7.81 to $8.58. The organization is currently trading at a PE ratio of 9.9.

UOB (SGX: U11)

The smallest of the three banks, UOB by itself is one of Singapore's largest companies with a market capitalisation of about $32.5 billion. For 1H2021, its net gain was at $1.56 billion, down about 29.8% compared to the same period last year. Its net interest earnings are at $3.05 billion, down about 5.9% from the year before. UOB typically pays dividends three times a year and will be paying $0.39. Investors can also choose to take on scrip dividend.

Since 23 March 2021, UOB share prices have increased from $17.57 to $19.40. The company is currently trading at a PE of 9.05, which is slightly lower than the other local banks.

iFAST Corporation (SGX: AIY)

While iFAST isn't a local bank yet, it promises to be one given that it's one of the applicants that has been shortlisted to be a digital wholesale bank in Singapore. iFAST is a local company founded in 2000 as a Financial Technology (FinTech) company, before the term existed. The company was listed on the SGX in 2021.

Despite the global pandemic, iFAST has done exceptionally well in 2021, especially considering it isn't in the rubber, medical, or essential consumer goods industries. For 1H2021, the company saw its net profit growing by 101.4% compared to the same period in 2021, on the back of a 33.2% growth in revenue. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the audience said that it expects the full-year performance for 2021 to show healthy growth in profits and revenue when compared with 2021.

iFAST is (rightly) valued like a growth company and its PE ratio reflects that. Having a market capitalisation of about $580 million, its current PE reaches about 43.2. This clearly shows that investors are investing in the company based on its expected future growth, which iFAST has indeed demonstrated the capability to capture despite the pandemic.

iFAST share prices have done exceptionally well. The company is now trading at $2.21 (11 September) after starting the entire year at $1.04.

To find out more about the performance from the local banks, you can read this SGX Market Update report.