Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-09-11 10:19Core Viewpoint - Several major shareholders and executives of listed banks have taken the opportunity to increase their holdings during the recent stock price fluctuations, reflecting confidence in the banks' fundamentals and future prospects, as well as highlighting the long-term investment value of bank stocks at current valuations, particularly their high dividend yields [2][5]. Group 1: Shareholder Actions - Since August, multiple listed banks, including Huaxia Bank, Chengdu Bank, Suzhou Bank, Nanjing Bank, Qingdao Bank, and Shanghai Bank, have announced plans or progress regarding share buybacks by major shareholders or executives [2][5]. - For instance, Nanjing Bank's major shareholder, Zijin Group's subsidiary, increased its holdings by 56.78 million shares, accounting for 0.46% of the total share capital, between July 18 and September 10 [2]. - Huaxia Bank completed its buyback plan by acquiring 4.23 million shares for a total of 31.9 million yuan, after initially announcing a plan to buy back at least 30 million yuan worth of shares [3][4]. Group 2: Market Context - The banking sector index has experienced a significant decline since reaching a peak around July 10, with smaller banks facing even larger drops [3][4]. - The stock price of Huaxia Bank fell from a high of 8.72 yuan per share on July 10 to 7.28 yuan per share by September 9 [4]. - Chengdu Bank's buyback plan was delayed due to its stock price exceeding the set upper limit, but it resumed with a total investment of 170 million yuan over a short period [4]. Group 3: Investment Sentiment - Analysts suggest that the recent buybacks by major shareholders and executives signal their recognition of the banks' long-term investment value and confidence in future operations, which can help stabilize stock price expectations [5][6]. - The banking sector is viewed as a defensive investment during market downturns due to its low valuations and high dividend characteristics, providing relatively stable returns [6]. - The banking sector index has seen a 64% increase from December 2023 to July 2025, with a maximum drawdown of over 10% in 2023 [7]. Group 4: Institutional Investment Trends - Insurance funds have increasingly targeted undervalued, large-cap, low-volatility banks, with several banks experiencing multiple stake increases from these funds [7]. - Public funds have also shown a rising interest in bank stocks, with the proportion of active public funds in bank stocks reaching 4.9% by the end of Q2, the highest since Q2 2021 [8]. - Despite the inflow of funds, there are concerns regarding net interest margin pressures and potential asset quality issues due to the real estate downturn, leading to some portfolio adjustments [8].