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Axis Bank share price plunged over 5% in early trade on Thursday after the private sector lender reported its earnings for the first quarter of FY25. Axis Bank shares declined as much as 5.76% to ₹1,168.25 apiece on the BSE.
Axis Bank posted a net profit of ₹6,035 crore in the quarter ended June 2024, up from ₹3,452 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal year. However, the bank’s net profit declined 15% from ₹7,130 crore in the March quarter.
Net interest income (NII) in Q1FY25 rose to ₹13,448 crore from ₹11,959 crore, year-on-year (YoY), while Net interest margin (NIM) eased to 4.05% from 4.10% last year.
The bank’s management believes the higher NPA formation was a one-off and should trend down; this along with moderating cost (with the Citi integration pain largely behind) should help offset any margin/LLP pressure.
“Axis Bank logged a 10% earnings miss, with PAT and ROA lower mainly due to LLP being higher (0.9% of loans) on account of higher NPAs / slower recoveries, and partly offset by lower opex. Credit growth was relatively moderate, but better LDR, rising share of unsecured loans, and a one-off interest on IT refund helped Axis report flattish NIMs at 4.1%,” said Anand Dama, Senior Research Analyst at Emkay Global Financial Services.
Building on the Q1 miss amid rising noise on unsecured loans and thus LLP, Enkay Global cuts FY25-27E earnings estimates by ~3%. But it still expects the bank to report a healthy RoA of ~1.8%. With CET 1 below 15%, the bank has taken an enabling resolution to raise equity capital to around ₹20,000 crore; this should hence keep RoE in check.