Banks are the economy in stock form: credit growth tracks nominal GDP, and asset quality tracks the cycle. India's pack divides into private leaders (HDFC Bank, ICICI, Kotak, Axis) prized for CASA deposits and tech, and PSU giants (SBI, Bank of Baroda) prized for reach and improving balance sheets.
Bank analysis has its own vocabulary - CASA, NIM, GNPA, PCR, ROA - and P/E means little without them. The screen below is the five-number health check professionals run first.
Stocks in this collection
Prices move every second, so instead of a stale price table, here is the membership list with why each stock belongs. Add them to a watchlist to see live prices, sparklines and P/E ratios.
| Ticker | Exchange | Company | Why it belongs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDFCBANK | NSE / BSE | HDFC Bank | Largest private lender; watch CASA ratio and merger-integration metrics. |
| ICICIBANK | NSE / BSE | ICICI Bank | Best-in-class ROA and tech; watch unsecured retail slippages. |
| SBIN | NSE / BSE | State Bank of India | The PSU bellwether; watch GNPA recovery and subsidiary value. |
| KOTAKBANK | NSE / BSE | Kotak Mahindra Bank | Conservative underwriter; watch RBI restrictions and growth rebound. |
| AXISBANK | NSE / BSE | Axis Bank | Citi-portfolio integration story; watch deposit growth versus credit. |
| BANKBARODA | NSE / BSE | Bank of Baroda | PSU turnaround with strong recoveries; watch margins and provisions. |
How to screen bank stocks yourself
- CASA above 40% - cheap deposits are the moat; falling CASA foreshadows margin pressure.
- NIM defended above 3% (private) / 2.5% (PSU) - margins, not loan growth, decide returns.
- GNPA under 2% with PCR above 70% - clean books first, growth second.
- ROA above 1% - the line between an average bank and a compounding one.
- Credit-deposit ratio under 85% - headroom to grow without expensive bulk deposits.
Risks to watch
- Valuing banks on P/E alone. Use price-to-book adjusted for asset quality - a cheap P/E often prices hidden NPAs.
- Unsecured-lending euphoria. Personal-loan booms flatter growth until the cycle turns; watch RBI risk-weight signals.
- Ignoring deposit wars. When every bank chases deposits, margins compress across the board.
Frequently asked questions
HDFC Bank vs ICICI Bank - which is better?
Both are quality franchises; compare CASA, NIM trajectory and ROA rather than brand. ICICI has led on returns recently while HDFC digests its merger - the numbers, not narratives, decide.
Are PSU bank stocks good investments?
They have rerated on cleaner books and record dividends, but trade cheaper for a reason: government ownership caps. They suit value-style allocations, not buy-and-forget compounding.
What is CASA and why does it matter?
Current and savings account deposits - the cheapest funding a bank gets. Higher CASA means lower costs and fatter margins. Defined in our CASA glossary.
Track it live
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P/E Ratio
Price-to-earnings: what you pay for each rupee or dollar of yearly profit. The starting lens for cheap vs expensive.
ROE
Return on equity: profit earned per rupee of shareholder money. High and stable ROE compounds wealth.
Market Cap
Price times shares outstanding: the market's price tag for the whole company. Defines large, mid and small caps.
Dividend Yield
Annual dividend divided by share price. A 4% yield pays Rs 4 yearly per Rs 100 invested - if the payout lasts.
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For education only, not financial advice. Membership lists change with corporate actions and index reviews — verify tickers before investing.