UNITY BANK RECONSTRUCTION PROPOSAL, A WELL THOUGHT OUT PLAN YET WITH A BUT!!!

UNITY BANK RECONSTRUCTION PROPOSAL, A WELL THOUGHT OUT PLAN YET WITH A BUT!!!

After reading the news about UNITY BANK intention to do a share reconstruction process, I personally felt it’s a welcome idea which is even long overdue.

The banks in the banking sector of the Nigeria capital market has a characteristic feature which lies in their over-bloated outstanding shares. Considering the first ten companies with the highest outstanding share in the Nigeria stock exchange shows the banks occupying seven out of the ten slots.

                               

SN	COMPANY	OUTSTANDING SHARES(MILL)
1	Transcorp	38720
2	UnityBank	38446
3	UBA	32981
4	FirstBank	32632
5	ZenithBank	31936
6	GTBank	29431
7	FidelityBank	28974
8	AccessBank	22882
9	Afrinsure	20585
10	Roads	20000

Focusing on the banks alone also shows Unity Bank with the highest outstanding shares in the entire banking sector.

The most intriguing fact about UNITY BANK is that while banks with lower OS in comparison to Unity Bank are generating higher Earnings and PAT to mitigate whatever negative effect that might arise from their blossom outstanding shares, Unity bank is not. The graph below show Nigerian banks as they stand according to their 3^rd quarter results.

NB- FBNH 2^nd quarter result was used here.

It therefore makes it imperative to note that no other bank needs a share reconstruction than Unity Bank. What will be the benefits of a share reconstruction to this bank?

                   REDUCED OUTSTANDING SHARES

Should the reconstruction be carried out, the outstanding share of Unity bank will drastically reduce from the current 38446mil to 9612mill automatically making it the bank with the lowest outstanding shares in the banking sector of the Nigeria stock exchange.

INCREASE IN EPS VALUE

Apart from the above, should Unity bank successfully reconstructs it shares, the action will project its earnings per share (EPS) from the current meager EPS value.

  CHANGE IN QUOTED PRICE

Unity bank as at 24/12/13 is selling at .50k should there be a successful share reconstruction in the future this will change the current price to N2.00

·        

PRE-RECONSTRUCTION						POST-RECONSTRUCTION
	OS	Q3/13 EARNINGS	Q3/13 PAT	CURRENT PRICE	QE/13 EPS	OS	Q3/13 EPS	PROSPECTIVE PRICE
UNITY	38446Mill	45395mill	1153Mill	.50k	0.03k	9611mill	0.12k	N2.00

What could however be the possible pitfalls in UNITY BANK potential re-construction process?

         o   QUOTED PRICE FALLING POST-RECONSTRUCTION

Without trying to be a prophet of doom, I have this sympathetic feeling that Shareholders of unity bank will be the end loser in this reconstruction proposal, am afraid because I have been asking myself if UNITY bank has what it takes to go beyond N2 in the short and medium term should the bank successfully reconstruct its shares, to be more candid, does Unity bank has what it takes in terms of current earnings to stay at N2.00 without plummeting back to pre-construction price?

o   INTENTION TO RAISE MORE CAPITAL

No doubt about Unity Bank dire need to shore up its capital in order to compete effectively in the industry but raising authorized share capital, reconstructing of shares and at the same time trying to raise more capital makes the entire process a questionable flip-flop which I think shareholders will be the end loser of the game plan. it is thus disturbing that it is the same shareholders gave their approval to all of the above in UNITY BANK recent EGM recently held in Lagos. The entire scenario gives me no choice than to wish Unity Bank and its shareholder best of luck in the prospective effort to make Unity Bank a bank to reckon with in the banking industry.

Questions, advice and Comments will be positively received.

owolabiafeez@hotmail.com

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