Lloyds TSB Group PLCLYGCOMMENTOct 13, 2017Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 09, 2026. Market Open.
He sold in 2013/14 because cross selling did not work. They were going to increase returns to shareholders and that did not materialize. As a British bank they are in a better position than a European bank. But he does not want to be a British bank because the American markets have access to your capital. He thinks the outperformance of non-Canadian banks is probably over.
He sold in 2014-5. The bank was working off the bad loan book and releasing capital, and selling off bad loans. They hoping to return their book of business back to growth. Because they'd underwritten most UK mortgages, they hopes that by cross-selling they could grow their share. That didn't work, so he exited.
He sold his Lloyd’s shares several years ago. He invested with the expectation of some catalysts: that they would expand their business by increasing the number of types of services they provided to each customer and that they would significantly increase their dividend. Neither increased to the extent that he had planned for and he doesn’t see significant catalysts for growth now. (Analysts’ price target is 76p compared to a current stock price of 67 pence).
The overriding issue for them is that it is very much a UK centric story. In the context of a BREXIT, there is likely to be some downside on GDP growth for the UK economy, maybe 5% per year for 4 or 5 years until everything normalizes. Thereafter, there might be some growth. In the interim, you will likely see higher interest rates for banks, but you will see contracting earnings opportunities. You want to look at banks that have UK exposure, but also outside growth. He would suggest looking at HSBC Holdings (HSBC-N) or Banco Santander (SAN-N).