Analysts are expecting another strong performance from Standard Bank when it presents its results for the year to December on Wednesday — underpinned once again by strong advances growth.
A survey of analysts by I-Net Bridge points to about a 17% increase in headline earnings per share for the year, with earnings expected to have grown from 396 cents a year ago to 464 cents per share.
Dividend per share is expected to be up by about 21% from 124 cents to about 150 cents a share.
Analysts say that while the results are likely to reflect the beginnings of market compression, they expect this to have been offset by strong advances growth.
They also expect a strong performance by the group’s international division to support non-margin income growth, with positive gearing out of both costs and bad debts producing a year of strong earnings growth.
Persistent rand strength and the group’s subsidiary Liberty — whose recent results proved disappointing, but much in line with expectations — are likely to be the main negatives for Standard Bank.
Notwithstanding the strong rand, some analysts still expect to see good currency earnings growth from Africa. Although the earnings are likely to be somewhat muted by the rampant rand, Stanbic Africa is still expected to contribute about R480-million toward headline earnings.
Standard Bank disclosed on Monday it is consolidating its subsidiary brands under a single Standard Bank brand.
This means that divisions such as Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank (SCMB) that previously had their own brand identity are being brought under the Standard Bank brand. SCMB will be known as the corporate and investment banking division. The bank’s asset finance division, Stannic, will be known as the vehicle and asset finance division.
The only exception is the use of the Stanbic Bank brand in the bank’s Africa operation where the bank is legally required to differentiate itself from its United Kingdom-based competitor, Standard Chartered Bank. All other international operations will be branded Standard Bank or Standard. — I-Net Bridge