Financial services stocks: Each one has a different operating matrix and phases of performance on the stre

Just because of the stock, HDFC bank came under pressure, a narrative got built, that the whole banking and financial services sector is facing headwinds. But the fact is financial service is a very broad term, it would be wrong to look at them with the same lens. Each segment is an industry in itself which is governed by an operating matrix which is very different from another. For example, a Housing finance company can be happy with 10 percent net margins, but for an average asset management company ( AMC) the net margin would be more than 30 percent. Similarly, a gold loan company is best of the NPA provisioning ability but the margins are not very high. The only common thing which binds the financial service sector is the GDP growth rate as the growth in all segments have a certain well defined relationship with growth in GDP.

A software company with a net margin of 10 percent is probably not worth looking at but if an infrastructure and construction company has a net margin of 10 percent it is not bad at all. The best construction player in India strives to get double digit numbers, but it has been able to create wealth for its stakeholder. Every industry has its own matrix which should be taken into account before investing. ET screener powered by Refinitiv’s Stock Report Plus lists stocks with high upside potential over the next 12 months, having an average recommendation rating of “buy” or strong buy .

Gone are the days, when a single company was considered a bellwether for IT sector stock. Today, whether it is a large or mid sized company, all have different focus areas and hence their quarterly results tend to differ from one another. Stock Reports Plus, powered by Refinitiv, is a comprehensive research report that evaluates five key components of 4,000+ listed stocks - earnings, fundamentals, relative valuation, risk and price momentum to generate standardized scores.

However if one looks at the history of financial markets, there are phases where multiple challenges have come up for the sector at the sametime. But given the savings matrix which Indian’s have, despite all that may have happened, on an overall basis the financial services industry has grown and some select stocks have given decent returns to their shareholders.

There have not been many instances where one would have seen PSU banks strongly out performing the private banks. But we have seen a divergence in recent times. This probably is a reflection that finally the street has realized that it is wrong to paint all the companies in the banking sector with the same brush. It is even more true for the other parts of the financial service sector with the same brush. While they come under the umbrella of the BFSI, the operating matrix of each segment of financial service is very different and hence it is extremely important to have a look at segments with different lenses. The only common thing which binds the financial service sector is the GDP growth rate as the growth in all segments have a certain well defined relationship with growth in GDP.

HDFC AMC stock surged in the intraday trade on Tuesday after Abrdn Investment Management offloaded its entire 10.2% stake in HDFC Asset Management Company.

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Housing finance as an industry had its fair share of controversies. If one looks at the root cause of the NBFC crisis, it is clear, it was housing finance companies which were at the centre of the crisis. If one looks globally also, either directly or indirectly, they have been at the root of a financial crisis or a scam. One of the reasons why this sector carries such risk is that the underlying asset, which is real estate itself, is both cyclical and non-transparent. Despite all the ills, one of the biggest wealth creators in the history of the Indian stock market has been a housing finance company, erstwhile HDFC which now merged with HDFC bank. So, while they must have a portfolio, what you own is more important.