HDFC Bank ADRs fall over 9% after Q1 margin disappointment

HDFC Bank shares came under sharp selling pressure on Monday after the lender's American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) slumped on Wall Street, with investors reacting negatively to weaker-than-expected June-quarter earnings, particularly the pressure on net interest margins (NIMs).

The bank's ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) plunged 9.34% to $23.92, shedding $2.46 after the earnings announcement. The weak sentiment spilled over to domestic markets, where HDFC Bank emerged as the biggest drag on benchmark indices.

The stock fell more than 5% during Monday's session, touching an intraday low of ₹775 before settling at ₹777.60 on the NSE and ₹777.65 on the BSE, down 5.12% on both exchanges.

The decline wiped out ₹64,685.58 crore from HDFC Bank's market capitalisation, taking its valuation below the ₹12 lakh crore mark to ₹11.98 lakh crore.

The sharp fall in India's largest private sector lender also weighed heavily on the broader market. The BSE Sensex declined 442.93 points, or 0.57%, to close at 77,708.52, while the Nifty 50 fell 95.80 points, or 0.39%, to 24,238.50.

"Investor sentiment remained subdued after quarterly earnings from major private banks disappointed on the margin front, triggering a sharp sell-off in banking heavyweights," said Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research at Religare Broking.

HDFC Bank had reported a 5% year-on-year increase in standalone net profit to ₹19,060 crore for the June quarter, compared with ₹18,155 crore a year earlier. However, the results failed to impress investors as margin pressure overshadowed the earnings growth.

Also Read: HDFC Bank shares get a downgrade from Investec after Q1 results, no more a 'consensus buy'

While net interest income (NII) rose 7% year-on-year to ₹33,530 crore, the bank reported a net interest margin of 3.26% on total assets and 3% on interest-earning assets, missing market expectations. Total income also declined to ₹92,184 crore from ₹99,200 crore a year ago, while operating profit fell to ₹28,169 crore from ₹35,734 crore, reinforcing concerns over profitability.

(With agency inputs)