Truist Financial Corp. (TFC, Financial) is among the largest regional banks in the U.S. The company has a strong deposit franchise with high local market share, predominantly focused in fast-growing southeastern markets. The company’s share price declined meaningfully this quarter, alongside most bank stocks, as investors grew concerned about mark-to-market losses on its securities portfolio and potential deposit outflows. We believe the company’s reputation, relationships and liquidity profile will allow it to weather this storm without material negative impact. The company’s shares are currently valued at a single-digit multiple of our estimate of normalized earnings power. We believe this is a very attractive price for such a high-quality regional banking franchise that has historically generated a high-teens return on its tangible equity. Furthermore, the company’s capital-light insurance brokerage subsidiary, which contributes little to tangible book value and just 10% of reported earnings, could be worth as much as 35% of the current stock price based on its recently announced minority sale price.
From Bill Nygren (Trades, Portfolio)'s Oakmark Fund first-quarter 2023 commentary.
