Back Link
Reader View

Macquarie stock recommendations: ICICI Bank, SBI, PayTM to LIC — top 11 financial shares to buy on rerating potential

www.livemint.com · October 1, 2026 · 11:24

Macquarie stock recommendations India: Amid poor returns by the key benchmark indices of the Indian stock market, global brokerage Macquarie has predicted a turnaround in investors' fortunes through the banking and financial stocks. The brokerage has predicted a strong FY28 for the banking stocks, expecting a rerating in banking and financial stocks. The Macquarie Equity Research expects banks to deliver strong ~18% FY28E EPS growth driven by a ~15bps rise in margins. Attractive valuations offer further support.

Expecting a strong recovery in the earnings of Indian banks and financial companies, the Macquarie Equity Research said, “We forecast FY28E EPS growth of ~18% and see significant re-rating potential, given undemanding valuations of 1.3x FY28E P/B and 10x P/E.”

The global brokerage equity research report says that private banks should deliver strong EPS growth in the next two years as margins improve and operating expenses and credit costs fall.

“We assume a ~75 bps of rate hikes in the next 9–12 months, increasingly likely as the Fed enters a tightening cycle, supporting further margin expansion. Including foreign currency non-resident (FCNR) deposits, we forecast ~15 bps of YoY margin expansion in FY28E. The macroeconomic backdrop remains supportive: post-FCNR mobilisation has eased liquidity constraints, loan demand is robust and broad-based, asset quality remains healthy, and rate increases appear imminent,” the Macquarie report went on to add.

Speaking on the NBFC business, Macquarie's report said that growth should remain strong, but a rate increase and higher bond yields should raise borrowing costs and pressure near-term margins. Asset quality is another risk, particularly for unsecured MFI and personal loans if inflation persists. However, most NBFCs are well capitalised and adequately provisioned. Following solid execution and valuation consolidation among some larger names, valuations appear more reasonable.

Speaking of the top features available in the Indian insurance industry, Macquarie's report said that ULIP taxation, surrender-value rules, and GST ITC ineligibility have already affected valuations, while recent commission regulations could constrain FY28E growth. Insurers have de-rated significantly and now trade at attractive levels.

The Macquarie report has made it clear that banking stocks have been picked on for their rerating potential available in the segment. In the NBFC segment, the brokerage has preferred stocks with clear potential to improve ROA. In the insurance segment, stocks with improving margins and lower exposure to IRDA regulations have been preferred.

The global brokerage has a list of 11 top stock picks in the banking and financial segment. Those 11 stocks are as follows:

Banking stocks: ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, SBI, City Union Bank.

NBFCs: Aditya Birla Capital, LT Finance, Shriram Finance, M&M Financial Services.

Disclaimer: This story is for educational and informational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified financial experts before making any investment decisions.

Asit Manohar has nearly two decades of experience in the mainstream media. In this period, he has served esteemed media organisations like NDTV Profit, The Economic Times, and Zee Business. He has been working at LiveMint Digital since April 2021. During these two decades of journey in mainstream media, Asit has mainly covered external affairs, markets and personal finance. However, his earliest beats include railways, SME, MSME, and politics (Congress beat). Some of his features on political, economic, and foreign policy are documented in the parliamentary records. <br><br> While pursuing his MA (Mass Communication, Session 2004-06), Asit began his media career as a stringer at All India Radio in Varanasi. At AIR Varanasi, Asit worked with the Gyanvani, Yuvvani and Vividh Bharti teams. After working for nearly one year at AIR Varanasi, he shifted to print journalism and started working as a stringer for the HT Media Ltd, Varanasi. At HT Media Ltd in Varanasi, he covered the BHU beat. <br><br> Asit has also worked with some brokerage houses. He has worked with Religare Broking and India Infoline, where he assisted the research team in developing and executing trade strategies for intraday cash, F&O, and commodities. <br><br> Asit is a Gold Medalist in MA (Mass Communication) from BHU, Varanasi. He did his BSc. (Hons) in Mathematics from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya. Asit was a National Talent Scholarship holder during his senior secondary studies (1988-91).

Catch all the Business News , Market News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.