0450 GMT - Citi analyst Thomas Strong picks Westpac over NAB in the investor debate between which is the better pick among Australian banks. Strong has a sell rating on both but tells clients in a note that Westpac has a greater long-term opportunity to improve return-on-equity through its simplification efforts. He warns that execution risk is high, and thinks Westpac faces stronger near-term margin headwinds. That said, he reckons that NAB has slightly worse asset quality and says that the positive share-price reaction to its most recent result only reversed its prior underperformance. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 26, 2025 00:50 ET (04:50 GMT)
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