On Tuesday, JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating on shares of Futu Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:FUTU), with a steady stock price target of $91.00. The firm's stance follows Futu's recent move to acquire a 44% stake in Airstar Bank, a virtual bank in Hong Kong, for HK$440 million. This transaction positions Futu as the second-largest shareholder in the bank, while Xiaomi (OTC:XIACF) retains its status as the largest shareholder.
The acquisition, according to JPMorgan, presents several positive aspects for Futu. Airstar Bank's growth potential is underscored by its low loan-to-deposit ratio of 42% and its robust capital foundation. The firm also notes that Airstar Bank's balance sheet is comparatively clean, given the small size of its loans.
The strategic move is expected to bring synergies between Futu and Airstar Bank. There is potential for Airstar to develop loan products tailored for Futu's customer base, while Futu could cross-sell its wealth management and equity products to Airstar's depositors. JPMorgan suggests that these collaborative efforts could enhance the breadth of services Futu offers to its clients.
Despite anticipating a minor negative financial impact in the short term from this deal, JPMorgan views the acquisition as a value-adding development for Futu in the medium to long term. The firm's analysis concludes that the benefits of a more comprehensive service offering to clients will outweigh initial costs, ultimately contributing to Futu's value proposition.
In other recent news, Futu Holdings Limited has been making significant strides in its growth trajectory. The company recently reported a 9.2% quarter-over-quarter revenue growth in the first quarter of 2024, despite a slight year-over-year decline in net profit.
This performance exceeded BofA Securities' expectations by 3%. Futu Holdings also added approximately 177,000 new paying clients during the same period, prompting the company to raise its full-year guidance for new paying clients to 400,000.
Moreover, Futu recently acquired a 44.1% stake in Airstar Bank for HK$440 million, becoming the second-largest shareholder of the virtual bank. Analysts from Morgan Stanley maintained an Equalweight rating on Futu shares, with a steady price target of $70.00 following this acquisition. Despite the deal valuation being at a premium, the impact on Futu's profit and loss statement is expected to be minimal in the near term.
The company's expansion into new markets, particularly Japan and Malaysia, has further contributed to its client acquisition momentum. However, Futu has expressed a conservative stance regarding profitability in these markets. These are some of the recent developments in Futu Holdings Limited.
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