** Macquarie Capital Securities (India) urges investors to "go all in" on India's private-sector banks, saying valuations after the recent market correction triggered by the Middle East war are "really tempting"
** While there is no clarity on how long the Iran war will last or where oil is headed, Suresh Ganapathy, head of financial services research at Macquarie, says HDFC Bank HDBK.NS, Axis Bank AXBK.NS and Kotak Mahindra Bank KTKM.NS trade at just 1.3x-1.5x FY2028 P/BV
** P/BV measures a stock's price relative to its book value
** Ganapathy says these lenders can still generate a healthy 14%-15% return on equity unless there is a blow-up in asset quality cycle
** Brokerage says events such as COVID-19, the 2008-09 global financial crisis and perhaps even the ongoing Iran war create a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to accumulate quality stocks at "dirt cheap valuations"
** Adds a "massive de-rating is already in place" for private banks, with HDBK and KTKM flat over five years and ICBK little changed in 18 months
** HDBK, KTKM, AXBK and ICBK down 2.7%-16% in 2026 so far
Macquarie sees once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy India's private banks https://reut.rs/3N0dPQL
(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru)
((bharath.rajeswaran@thomsonreuters.com; +91 9769003463;))