Citi predicts large banks will be 'winners' from SVB collapse, upgrades PNC to buy

By Scott Kanowsky 

Investing.com -- Heavily capitalized banks will be able to snap up more market share following the turmoil surrounding the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, analysts at Citi said in a note to clients.

The analysts argued that many depositors will be having discussions about which lenders will manage their cash in the wake of the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history.

"[The] [k]ey question is what do the winners look like, and we believe they will be more weighted towards large-cap names with strong diversified deposit franchises and clean asset quality," the Citi analysts wrote, adding that major bank JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) is likely to emerge as the "biggest winner" from the crisis.

"[T]he risk remains on the margin of continued market share shifts to the very large banks and will be an overhang on smaller banks until proven otherwise."

Along with JPMorgan, the Citi analysts highlighted PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC), the sixth largest bank in the U.S., according to Federal Reserve data. Citi called the Pittsburgh-based lender another "attractive" company despite reports that it was a potential candidate to acquire SVB before a possible deal failed to materialize.

Citi raised its rating of PNC to "buy" from "neutral," saying the recent slump in banking stocks presents an opportunity to purchase "one of the best management teams among the large regional banks."

Shares in PNC dropped sharply in early U.S. trading, reflecting a broader decline across the banking sector.