Truist Financial's (TFC) new chief executive, Mike Lyons, has an opportunity to overhaul the bank's merger-of-equals structure and improve profitability following years of underperformance, RBC Capital said in a note Monday.

RBC said Lyons should use his first 90 days to develop a bold plan focused on improving profitability, potentially including divestitures of businesses that do not fit strategically, reinvestment in deposits and treasury management, as well as restructuring the bank's bond portfolio.

Furthermore, Truist has a strong franchise in attractive US growth markets, but merger-related challenges have hurt execution, revenue growth and profitability, with Lyons expected to reinvigorate the workforce and add senior executives to drive the turnaround, the note said.

The analysts also expect dividends to rise over the next 12 to 24 months, with share repurchases potentially accelerating after the Basel III Endgame proposal is finalized in 2026.

RBC maintains its outperform rating on the stock with a price target of $53.

Price: 49.54, Change: -0.05, Percent Change: -0.09