By Sameer Manekar
(Reuters) -National Australia Bank on Thursday posted a drop of about 13% in its first-half cash earnings as it grappled with high operating costs and cutthroat competition, but announced a share buyback program worth A$1.5 billion ($979 million).
NAB, the country’s biggest business lender, reported a common equity tier 1 ratio, a closely watched measure of its spare cash, of 12.15% as of March-end, well above its target of between 11% and 11.5%, allowing the lender to buy back shares.
However, a rise in borrowing costs and increased competition in the lending industry for new business have prompted banks to offer competitive rates on loans while paying higher interest rates on deposits, squeezing their net interest margins.
NAB’s net interest margin – a closely watched key measure of profitability – fell to 1.72% from 1.77% a year earlier, but still beat the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of 1.69%.
“This mainly reflects lending margin competitive pressures primarily relating to housing lending, along with higher term deposit costs and deposit mix impacts,” the lender said in its results report.
Its cash earnings came in at A$3.55 billion ($2.32 billion) for the six months ended March 31, in line with Visible Alpha’s consensus estimate of A$3.55 billion compiled by UBS, but below last year’s A$4.07 billion.
NAB raised its interim dividend by 1 cent to 84 Australian cents per share.
($1 = 1.5319 Australian dollars)
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