0106 GMT - National Australia Bank's bull at Morgan Stanley tempers his buyback expectations for the lender due to weaker-than-expected capital position. Analyst Richard E. Wiles tells clients in a note that NAB's 11.6% CET1 capital ratio at the end of the December quarter was 35 bps below where he expects it to be. He attributes the miss primarily to higher risk-weighted assets from mortgages, derivative exposure and operational risk. As a result, Wiles now expects A$1.5 billion in new share buybacks, down from his previous expectation of A$3.0 billion. MS lowers its target price by 3.9% to A$37.40 but maintains overweight on the stock, which is down 3.6% at A$35.00. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 19, 2025 20:06 ET (01:06 GMT)
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