South Indian Bank Ltd: 96 Years Old, 3.15% GNPA, & a P/E That Looks Like a Typo


1. At a Glance

South Indian Bank (SIB) — Kerala’s original private banking grandpa (est. 1929) — has been in the game longer than most NSE-listed companies have existed. It’s clocking a P/E of just ~5.7, with FY25 PAT of ₹1,303 Cr (+21% YoY) and GNPA at 3.15%, the lowest in years. With a market cap of ₹7,640 Cr, it’s trading at just 0.73× book value — practically begging value investors to at least swipe right. Dividend yield? 1.37%, because they’d rather hoard capital than splurge.


2. Introduction

Once written off as a sleepy regional lender drowning in bad loans, SIB has quietly cleaned up its act over the last 3 years. GNPA fell from 5.87% in mid-2022 to just 3.15% now, NNPA to 0.68%. Profit CAGR over 5 years? A spicy 65.7% — faster than many mid-cap banks.

Yet, the market still treats it like the kid at the back of the class who once failed math. At under 0.75× book value, it’s priced like a struggling PSU bank, not a private lender with improving asset quality and rising ROE.


3. Business Model (WTF Do They Even Do?)

  • Core: Retail & corporate banking, treasury, forex, and para-banking.
  • Geography: Strong in Kerala, decent South India footprint, expanding into metros.
  • Product Mix: Loans, deposits, credit cards, third-party product distribution.
  • CASA Ratio: 31.9% — not HDFC-level, but better than many peers.

Think of it as a regional bank trying to cosplay as a national player — with mixed but improving results.


4. Financials Overview

Fresh P/E = ₹29.2 ÷ ₹5.09 EPS ≈ 5.73×.

FY25 Snapshot:

  • Revenue: ₹9,413 Cr → TTM ₹9,461 Cr (+6% YoY)
  • Net Profit: ₹1,303 Cr → TTM ₹1,331 Cr
  • NIM: 3.28%
  • ROE: 13.8%
  • GNPA/NNPA: 3.15% / 0.68%

Commentary: Net profit has tripled in 3 years, but revenue growth is crawling. Other income (₹2,053 Cr) is a big driver.


5. Valuation

Method 1 – P/E:
Sector average ~12–15×.
FV = ₹5.09 EPS × 12–15× = ₹61 – ₹76.

Method 2 – P/BV:
BV = ₹39.8, sector average P/B ~1.2–1.5×.
FV = ₹48 – ₹60.

Method 3 – DCF (Quick):
Assume

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