FBK Oct 2024 40.000 call

More banking M&A deals expected—How to play the financial sector

Market Domination anchors Julie Hyman and Josh Lipton explored how to navigate uncertainty in the financial sector on the Yahoo Finance Playbook. Mendon Capital senior portfolio manager Anton Schutz and Janney Montgomery Scott director of research Chris Marinac joined to discuss recent weakness in JPMorgan (JPM) and Ally Financial (ALLY) stocks as well as expected mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity in the sector. After JPMorgan warned about its net interest income, the stock fell, though Schutz said investors' worries were overblown. The portfolio manager expects the company to beat its guidance given its "priced for greatness." Marinac told the Market Domination team that another factor for JPMorgan investors is the timing of upcoming rate cuts. Ahead of expected rate cuts, the banking sector is “positioned very well because the cost of funds surged during the last 12 to 18 months, and so as interest rates fall, the cost of funds is going to improve.” After comments from the Ally CFO on Tuesday raised concerns about credit quality, Schutz said this dynamic reflects the company's customer base rather than cause for concern about the banking market at large. “Ally's just seeing the pressure” from having a customer base of “subprime consumers,” Schutz said. Schutz did note that credit quality is important given that banks' book values, a company’s assets versus liabilities, are “critical” as mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are expected “to pick up meaningfully.” Marinac added that the expected uptick in M&A deals could come from mid-cap banks consolidating and acquiring regional banks to scale. “We absolutely are at an inflection point on M&A,” and “the question is how much happens now and how much happens in the next six months,” Marinac said, highlighting that “the stocks haven't yet discounted that positive news,” leaving an opportunity for investors. Schutz named First Horizon (FHN) and Veritex (VBTX) among his top picks, while Marinac called out Ameris Bancorp (ABCB), FB Financial (FBK), and Fifth Third (FITB). For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Naomi Buchanan.