Can These Factors Give You An Edge In Commerce Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ:CBSH)?
As a small-cap finance stock with a market capitalisation of US$7.62b, the risk and profitability of Commerce Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ:CBSH) are largely tied to the underlying economic growth of the region it operates in US. Since a bank profits from reinvesting its clients’ deposits in the form of loans, negative economic growth may lower deposit levels and demand for loan, adversely impacting its cash flow. After the Financial Crisis in 2008, a set of reforms called Basel III was created with the purpose of strengthening regulation, risk management and supervision in the banking sector. These reforms target bank level regulation and aims to improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb shocks arising from economic stress which could expose financial institutions to vulnerabilities. Its financial position may weaken in an adverse macro event such as political instability which is why it is crucial to understand how well the bank manages its risks. High liquidity and low leverage could position Commerce Bancshares favourably at the face of macro headwinds. A way to measure this risk is to look at three leverage and liquidity metrics which I will take you through today.
Check out our latest analysis for Commerce Bancshares
Why Does CBSH’s Leverage Matter?
Banks with low leverage are exposed to lower risks around their ability to repay debt. A bank’s leverage can be thought of as the amount of assets it holds compared to its own shareholders’ funds. While financial companies will always have some leverage for a sufficient capital buffer, Commerce Bancshares’s leverage ratio of less than the suitable maximum level of 20x, at 8.85x, is considered to be very cautious and prudent. With assets 8.85 times equity, the banks has maintained a prudent level of its own fund relative to borrowed fund which places it in a strong position to pay back its debt in times of adverse events. Should the bank need to increase its debt levels to meet capital requirements, it will have abundant headroom to do so.
What Is CBSH’s Level of Liquidity?
Due to its illiquid nature, loans are an important asset class we should learn more about. Generally, they should make up less than 70% of total assets, which is consistent with Commerce Bancshares’s state given its ratio of 56.2%. At this level of loan, the bank has preserved a sensible level between maintaining liquidity and generating interest income from the loan.
Does CBSH Have Liquidity Mismatch?
CBSH profits by lending out its customers’ deposits as loans and charge an interest on the principle. These loans tend to be fixed term which means they cannot be readily realized, yet customer deposits on the liability side must be paid on-demand and in short notice. This mismatch between illiquid loans and liquid deposits poses a risk for the bank if unusual events occur and requires it to immediately repay its depositors. Since Commerce Bancshares’s loan to deposit ratio of 67.9% is well-below than the appropriate maximum of 90%, this means the bank is lending out less than its total level of deposits and positions the bank cautiously in terms of liquidity as it has not disproportionately lent out its deposits and has retained an apt level of deposits. There is opportunity for the bank to increase its interest income by lending out more loans.
Next Steps:
Commerce Bancshares ticks all the boxes for operational prudency in terms of liquidity and leverage. These factors often sideline next to other fundamentals but are equally important to consider as part of the investment thesis. The bank’s favourable liquidity and leverage position exposes it to less risk when it comes to repaying financial obligations, in particular, in the case of an adverse macro event. We’ve only touched on operational risks for CBSH in this article. But as a stock investment, there are other fundamentals you need to understand. There are three pertinent factors you should further examine:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for CBSH’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for CBSH’s outlook.
Valuation: What is CBSH worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether CBSH is currently mispriced by the market.
Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.
To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
