We recently compiled a list of the 8 Most Profitable Bank Stocks To Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) stands against the other AI stocks investors shouldn’t miss.
The US Banking Industry: Expectations from the New Admin
Financials is one of the sectors being deemed as winner post Trump’s victory with investors betting on looser regulation and higher M&A activity. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon pointed to the optimism in the environment, saying:
“There has been a meaningful shift in CEO confidence, particularly following the results of the US election”
Yahoo reported that Gabelli Funds portfolio manager Mac Sykes thinks that the deregulation will benefit the banks and that he forecasts lighter oversight of the banking market as a catalyst for the group.
While many are looking forward to the possibility of finally being able to make acquisitions in the financial space under the new US admin, UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti joined CNBC and stated that he doesn’t think there is going to be a lot of deregulation. Rather, he sees a rationalization of the existing banking regulation, which he thinks is appropriate for big banks that shouldn’t be ‘massively deregulated’. Simultaneously, he sees consolidation allowed in the US among second-tier banks.
At the same time, Bank of New York Mellon CEO Robin Vince is more optimistic about Trump’s return to the White House in terms of the impact on the financial sector. As he joined Yahoo Finance at the 2025 World Economic Forum, he was not that concerned regarding the risks tied to potential loose regulation. He stated:
“To see a government that’s really focused on growth and being able to make the economy everything that it can be, because ultimately, as one of America’s leading banks, we are focused on helping our customers to be able to grow and thrive. You know, that’s what our platforms are all about”
Our Methodology:
In order to compile a list of the 8 most profitable bank stocks to buy according to analysts, we used stock screeners to shortlist bank stocks with over $1 billion TTM net income. Moving on, we shortlisted the top 8 stocks from our list which had the highest average upside potential, as of February 3. The 8 most profitable bank stocks to buy according to analysts have been arranged in ascending order of their average upside potentials.
At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
An experienced banker in a modern office handling foreign exchange transactions.
KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB)
Average Upside Potential: 33.37%
TTM Net Income: $3.309 Billion
KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) is a leading Korean financial services provider and has 11 subsidiaries including KB Kookmin Bank, KB Securities, KB Insurance, KB Kookmin Card, KB Life Insurance, KB Asset Management, KB Capital, KB Real Estate Trust, KB Savings Bank, KB Investment, KB Data Systems. KB Kookmin Bank strives to be a reliable bank, offering the best financial services and being customer-centric. The Group offers integrated financial solutions and services to its clients through its businesses.
The company’s core strengths stem from its expertise, extensive customer base, wide distribution network, and strong brand. Being among South Korea’s largest banks, KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) boasts the industry’s strongest capital position, a renowned low-cost deposit franchise, and leading fee income, as stated by Oakmark International Fund, which was excited to buy the shares at an attractive valuation for a bank ‘commonly acknowledged as the best bank in South Korea’.
KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) recorded a cumulative net profit of KRW4,395.3 billion for Q3 2024. The group continues to generate stable profits based on balanced growth in key non-banking subsidiaries such as securities, insurance, and card. Although KB was exposed to challenges from rate cuts and an economic downturn, the aforementioned sectors played a positive role in the overall financial performance.
Overall KB ranks 2nd on our list of the most profitable bank stocks to buy according to analysts. While we acknowledge the potential of KB as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than KB but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap.
Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.