Sector Alpha Week of 2026-08-14
Sector Alpha — machine-written from the numbers · Data as of 2026-08-14

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd

EQUITASBNK
Banks - Small Finance

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd is coiled. The quarters are improving, yet the P/BV sits at the 32nd percentile of its own 6-year range — the business is moving before the market.

The sharpest disagreement: the price moved +40.8% in a year while annual EPS moved −30.2% — the difference is re-rating, and re-rating has to be repaid with earnings.

The price is in a confirmed uptrend (12 weeks in) while the P/BV sits at the 32nd percentile of its own 6-year range. Underneath, the last four quarters read improving, and gross NPA has eased to 2.42%. What settles it: whether earnings grow into a price that has already moved.

Stage
Improving
partial read
Price
₹74.5
+40.8% 1Y
P/BV
1.4×
32nd pctile
of its own 6-year range
Revenue (Jun 26)
₹1,960 Cr
+18.9% YoY
Profit (Jun 26)
₹184 Cr
Net margin
9.4%
+23.0 pp YoY
ROE
2%
FY26
Gross NPA
2.42%
−0.50 pp YoY
01 · Price story

Price story Before the numbers, the tape. A stock price moves through four repeating seasons: a flat base (stage 1), an advance (2), a top (3), a decline (4). Where the price sits in that cycle frames everything below.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd trades at ₹74.5, in a confirmed uptrend and 12 weeks into that stage. That is +7.9% against its own 200-day average. It sits at 72% of a 52-week range of ₹55 to ₹82. On relative strength it is currently behind the NIFTY 500 on a trailing-13-week view (3 weeks and counting).

Today the stock is in a confirmed uptrend — week 12 of stage 2, confirmed. At ₹74.5 it trades +7.9% versus its 200-day average and sits at 72% of its 52-week range (₹55–₹82).

Aug 26: ₹74.5 Weekly closing price (₹) with 50- and 200-day averages; shaded bands mark the price stage (grey base, green advance, amber top, red decline). 3-year window.
+7.9% versus the 200-day line, week 12 of stage 2
Price50-day avg200-day avg
S2S4S4S2₹120₹101₹82.4₹63.8₹45.1₹75₹69Aug 23May 24Feb 25Dec 25Aug 26
S2S4S4S2₹120₹101₹82.4₹63.8₹45.1₹75₹69Aug 23Feb 25Aug 26
Beating or trailing, week by week since 2020 Each cell is one week from 2020 to now (307 weeks): the stock's trailing 13-week return minus the NIFTY 500's, green ahead / red behind (±25% ramp). Grey cells are the 13-week warm-up or weeks where the NIFTY 500 reading is not held.
trailing 13-week return vs the NIFTY 500
Nov 20Aug 26

Against the market, two honest reads. Cumulative: over the last 5.8 years the stock moved +127% while the NIFTY 500 moved +128% — behind the index over the full window. Recent form: on a trailing-13-week view the stock is currently behind (3 weeks and counting; last ahead the week of 2026-07-24) — the ribbon below is that same metric, week by week.

What would end the trend, mechanically: two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day line. That is the exit rule — no debates.

02 · Story check

Story check

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's story is not scored yet against the markers our research file set on 31 May 2026. Where it sits in its own cycle: Not stated in the research file. Still open: Four guidance reversals in four concalls; SBL FY27 growth already tracking below prior 20%+ commitment.

NOT YET CHECKED

What is proven. See the research file

What is not proven yet. Four guidance reversals in four concalls; SBL FY27 growth already tracking below prior 20%+ commitment.

🚨 Layer 1 read, 19 July 2026 — DROP. SFB at a P/BV trough recovering off a one-off MFI loss — real, but management keeps missing its own guidance. The scary PE 86 and -55% MoS are artefacts of reading a lender on the wrong lens and a one-off Q1 FY26 provisioning loss of -224cr; on P/BV the bank trades at 1.2x, the 5th percentile of its decade vs a 1.65x median, while quarterly PAT has recovered 24->90->213cr and GNPA fallen from 2.92% to 2.6%. Management says the MFI cycle is behind it and net slippages are at a 10-quarter low. But it is only one quarter of recovery with a single-quarter spike flag, and the guidance record is weak — SBL growth guidance was cut from 20%+ to 13% and deposit/yield commitments were reversed — so this stays a watch-tier P2, not a deploy-grade P1.

What would change Layer 1’s mind. Net slippages back above 2% in Q1 FY27 (showing Q4 FY26's 0.79% was seasonal not structural) OR H1 FY27 annualised credit cost breaching 2% — either would confirm the trough recovery is not durable and flip this to DROP [forward milestones M1/M2].

The test written in advance. Net slippages back above 2% in Q1 FY27 (showing Q4 FY26's 0.79% was seasonal not structural) OR H1 FY27 annualised credit cost breaching 2% — either would confirm the trough recovery is not durable and flip this to DROP [forward milestones M1/M2]. — the thesis as written as stated by the next result — from our Layer 1 read of 19 Jul 2026.

Sources: our stock research file (31 May 2026) · quarterly results through Jun 26 · the company’s own earnings calls. The story check is re-scored every results season; the record below never changes.

03 · Revenue

Revenue For a bank, revenue is everything the franchise earns — interest on the loan book plus fee and other income.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd reported ₹1,960 Cr of income in the Jun 26 quarter, +18.9% year on year. That is the 11th straight quarter of year-on-year growth. Over 10 years it has compounded at 32.5% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹6,794 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹7,105 Cr.

Why this happened. Non-MFI secured advances grew 21% YoY to 40,409 Cr in Q4 FY26. Disbursements in secured book reached 5,835 Cr (+49% YoY). SBL growing at 13% currently with management targeting 20%. If SBL reaches 20% growth, it adds ~3,700 Cr incremental book on a 18,559 Cr base.

FY26 revenue came in at ₹6,794 Cr (+7.6% on the year), capping 10 years at 32.5% compound. The latest quarter (Jun 26) printed ₹1,960 Cr, +18.9% year on year — the 11th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.

FY26 revenue ₹6,794 Cr (+7.6% YoY) Revenue bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). 11-year window. A bar is red when it is lower than the year before.
32.5% a year over 10 years
RevenueYoY growth
7.3k7,235%5.5k5,295%3.7k3,354%1.8k1,413%0−528%₹ Cr%₹6,7947.6%FY16FY21FY26
7.3k7,235%5.5k5,295%3.7k3,354%1.8k1,413%0−528%₹ Cr%₹6,7947.6%FY16FY21FY26
Jun 26: ₹1,960 Cr (+18.9% YoY) Quarterly revenue bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). Last 12 quarters. A bar is red when it is lower than the quarter before.
11th straight quarter of growth
Revenue (quarterly)YoY growth
2.1k37%1.6k28%1.1k19%52910%01.6%₹ Cr%₹1,96018.9%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26
2.1k37%1.6k28%1.1k19%52910%01.6%₹ Cr%₹1,96018.9%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26

Pace check: the last four quarters averaged +9.9% growth against the decade's 32.5% — the current year is running slower than its own long-run rate.

Acceleration check: trailing-twelve-month revenue grew +10.0% over the last 4 quarters against +11.3%/yr over the last 8 — stabilising.

FY26-Q4. revenue ₹1,836 Cr and profit ₹213 Cr as reported.

FY27-Q1. revenue ₹1,960 Cr and profit ₹184 Cr as reported.

Why-sources: our stock research file (31 May 2026) and the company’s own results for those quarters.

04 · Net margin

Net margin Net margin — what the bank keeps of every ₹100 of revenue after every cost, provision and tax. It is the cleanest single margin we can read for a lender.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's net margin is 9.4% in the Jun 26 quarter, +23.0 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. Across 12 fiscal years the net margin has ranged −216.7% to 20.8%. The current quarter sits inside that band.

The latest quarter's net margin is 9.4%, +23.0 pp against the same quarter a year ago. Across 12 fiscal years the net margin has ranged −216.7%–20.8%.

Why: the numbers show the net margin move clearly, but the cost lines behind it sit below what we hold — so we state the move without inventing its driver.

FY26: 1.5% Net margin by fiscal year, %, line (left); year-on-year change in the margin, in percentage points, line (right). 12-year window.
within a −216.7–20.8% band over 12 years
net marginYoY change (pp)
40%257%−29%185%−98%113%−167%40%−236%−32%%%1.5%−0.8%FY12FY20FY26
40%257%−29%185%−98%113%−167%40%−236%−32%%%1.5%−0.8%FY12FY20FY26
Jun 26: 9.4% net margin (+23.0 pp YoY) Quarterly net margin, %, line (left); year-on-year change in the margin, in percentage points, line (right). Last 12 quarters. Net profit as a share of total revenue, per quarter.
Net marginYoY change (pp)
17%26%8.7%15%0.5%3.9%−7.7%−7.3%−16%−18%%%9.4%23%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26
17%26%8.7%15%0.5%3.9%−7.7%−7.3%−16%−18%%%9.4%23%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26

FY26-Q4. revenue ₹1,836 Cr and profit ₹213 Cr as reported.

FY27-Q1. revenue ₹1,960 Cr and profit ₹184 Cr as reported.

Why-sources: our stock research file (31 May 2026) and the company’s own results for those quarters.

05 · Net profit

Net profit Net profit is what survives every cost, interest and tax — the number EPS, dividends and book value all grow from.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd earned ₹184 Cr of net profit in the Jun 26 quarter. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹103 Cr. The 10-year compound rate is 1.9%. That is 9.4% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier lost ₹224 Cr. 1 of the last 12 reported quarters were loss-making.

Jun 26 profit was ₹184 Cr, null year on year. On the full year, FY26 printed ₹103 Cr (−29.9%), and the 10-year compound rate is 1.9%.

FY26 profit ₹103 Cr (−29.9% YoY) Net profit bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). 11-year window. A bar is red when it is lower than the year before.
1.9% a year over 10 years
Net profitYoY growth
863611%647425%431239%21653%0−133%₹ Cr%₹103−29.9%FY16FY21FY26
863611%647425%431239%21653%0−133%₹ Cr%₹103−29.9%FY16FY21FY26
Jun 26: ₹184 Cr (null YoY) Quarterly net profit bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). Last 12 quarters. A bar is red when it is lower than the quarter before.
Net profit (quarterly)YoY growth
248517%121120%−5−277%−132−674%−259−1,071%₹ Cr%₹184407.1%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26
248517%121120%−5−277%−132−674%−259−1,071%₹ Cr%₹184407.1%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26

Pace comparison, last four quarters: profit +176.0% vs revenue +9.9%. Profit is growing faster than sales — fixed costs are being spread over a bigger base, and each extra rupee of revenue drops more to the bottom line.

FY26-Q4. revenue ₹1,836 Cr and profit ₹213 Cr as reported.

FY27-Q1. revenue ₹1,960 Cr and profit ₹184 Cr as reported.

Why-sources: our stock research file (31 May 2026) and the company’s own results for those quarters.

06 · Asset quality — the ladder

Asset quality — the ladder Gross NPA is the slice of the loan book where repayments have stopped. Net NPA is what remains after the money already set aside against those loans. Falling is healing; rising is damage arriving.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's gross NPA is 2.42% of the loan book in Jun 26, down from 2.92% a year ago. Net of provisions already set aside, 0.71% remains. That is the 4th straight quarter of improvement. Across the 12 quarters held here the book has ranged 2.27% to 2.97%.

Why this happened. Credit cost: 6.48% (Q1 FY26) → 2.16% (Q2) → 1.88% (Q3) → 1.11% (Q4). FY27 full-year guidance 1.5%. If sustained, this releases ~370 Cr in annual provisions on a ~37,000 Cr net book, materially boosting PAT.

Jun 26: gross NPA at 2.42% and net NPA at 0.71%, against 2.92% / 0.98% a year ago. Over the 12 quarters we hold, the book's worst reading was 2.97% and its best is 2.27%. The ladder has now improved for 4 consecutive quarters.

Fiscal-year ends: gross NPA 2.61% (Mar 24) → 2.60% (Mar 26) Gross and net NPA at each fiscal-year end, % of the loan book (lines). 3 year-ends held. The gap between the two lines is the share already provided for.
Gross NPANet NPA
3.1%2.4%1.8%1.2%0.5%%2.6%0.7%Mar 24Mar 25Mar 26
3.1%2.4%1.8%1.2%0.5%%2.6%0.7%Mar 24Mar 25Mar 26
Jun 26: gross NPA 2.42% (−0.50 pp YoY) Gross and net NPA as % of the loan book, quarterly, last 12 quarters.
4th straight quarter better
Gross NPANet NPA
3.2%2.5%1.8%1.2%0.5%%2.4%0.7%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26
3.2%2.5%1.8%1.2%0.5%%2.4%0.7%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26

The synthesis: profit growth at a bank is only as good as the book behind it, and this book is healing on a multi-quarter streak. A note on depth: quarterly provisioning detail is not in our numbers yet, so this ladder reads levels and trend, not the cost of the cleanup.

Why the ladder moved: recoveries, write-offs and slippages each play a part, and that split sits below what we hold — the numbers show the healing; the driver mix does not travel with them.

07 · The loan book

The loan book We read the loan book through revenue — when the book grows, revenue grows with it. It is a rough proxy, and we say so: rate moves and fee swings can shift it a few points in any one year.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's revenue grew +7.6% in FY26 to ₹6,794 Cr, so the book is growing. The latest quarter ran +18.9% year on year. The net margin on that income is 9.4%, +23.0 percentage points against a year ago.

FY26 revenue was ₹6,794 Cr, +7.6% on the year, and the latest quarter ran +18.9% year on year. The net margin on that revenue is 9.4% this quarter (+23.0 pp YoY) — growth with a widening margin on it.

FY26: revenue ₹6,794 Cr (+7.6% YoY) with the net margin at 1.5% Revenue by fiscal year, ₹ Cr (bars, left); net margin, % (line, right). 11-year window. A bar is red when it is lower than the year before.
RevenueNet margin
7.3k22%5.5k17%3.7k11%1.8k5.6%00.0%₹ Cr%₹6,7941.5%FY16FY18FY21FY23FY26
7.3k22%5.5k17%3.7k11%1.8k5.6%00.0%₹ Cr%₹6,7941.5%FY16FY21FY26

The synthesis: a lender compounds when the book grows while the margin holds and the loan book stays clean — gross NPA is the loan-quality read we carry here.

08 · Returns on equity and assets

Returns on equity and assets Two numbers rate a bank: ROE — what it earns on shareholder money — and ROA — what it earns on everything it deploys. ROE above ~13–15% earns its keep; below that, growth builds book slowly.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd earns a return on equity of 2% in FY26. Its trough over the ladder below was −49% in FY12. For a lender the balance sheet is the operating asset, so equity return and asset return have to be read together.

FY26 ROE came in at 2%, recovered from a FY12 trough of −49%. Return on assets is withheld on this page — its two source series disagree for this quarter. That return is below the bar a bank must clear to compound book value quickly — which is also the honest reason the stock trades where it does.

FY26: ROE 2%, ROA 0.20% Return on equity by fiscal year, % (line, left); return on assets, % (line, right). 13-year window. A lender is judged on ROE and ROA — return on invested capital does not apply to a bank.
up from a FY12 trough of −49%
ROEROA
19%2.1%0.8%1.6%−18%1.1%−36%0.6%−54%0.1%%%2%0.2%FY11FY20FY26
19%2.1%0.8%1.6%−18%1.1%−36%0.6%−54%0.1%%%2%0.2%FY11FY20FY26
Q4 FY26: ROE 6.1% (TTM) Trailing-twelve-month return on equity (left) and on assets (right), per quarter, %. Last 12 quarters, anchored to the annual figure.
ROE (TTM)ROA (TTM)
18%3.5%9.2%2.9%0.4%2.3%−8.4%1.7%−17%1.1%%%6.1%2.3%Q1 FY24Q2 FY25Q4 FY26
18%3.5%9.2%2.9%0.4%2.3%−8.4%1.7%−17%1.1%%%6.1%2.3%Q1 FY24Q2 FY25Q4 FY26

Why ROE moved: profit compounded 1.9% a year over 10 years while the equity base grew more slowly — earnings recovering faster than book value builds is what lifts ROE off a trough.

09 · Debt

Debt

For a bank, borrowings are raw material, not a warning sign — solvency is read through the returns and the loan book. A manufacturer’s debt is a claim against its profits, so the debt-to-equity lens that works everywhere else misleads on a lender and is not applied here.

A manufacturer’s debt is a claim against its profits; a bank’s borrowings are its inventory — money taken in to be lent out. The debt lens that works everywhere else misleads here, so this page does not apply it. The solvency questions for a bank — is the loan book sound, is the equity earning — are read through the loan-book and returns sections above.

10 · Ownership

Ownership Who owns the stock, quarter by quarter: promoters (the controlling owners), foreign and domestic institutions, and the public. Steady accumulation by people close to the numbers is a signal; a quiet register is also an answer.

Promoters cut 74.6 points of Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd over 5 quarters, the biggest move on the register. That takes promoters to 0.0% of the company. Domestic institutions moved +5.8 points over the same window, to 51.3%. The register is read on the four disclosed classes only; nothing is inferred between filings.

The register over the last two years — Promoters: −74.6 points over 5 quarters to 0.0%; Domestic institutions: +5.8 points over 8 quarters to 51.3%; Foreign institutions: −3.9 points over 8 quarters to 15.7%. Note the structure: promoters hold under 20% — this is a widely-held company where institutions, not a family, set the direction.

Why the register moved: rotation — foreign institutions −3.9 points against domestic institutions +5.8 points over 8 quarters, with promoters −74.6 points — one class of institutions handing the register to the other, not a verdict change by the people closest to the numbers.

Fiscal-year ends: promoters +0.0 pts from Mar 24 to Mar 26 Shareholding at each fiscal-year end (March quarter), % of the company. 3 year-ends held.
PromotersForeign inst.Domestic inst.Public
55%40%25%11%−4.1%%0%14.7%50.9%34.4%Mar 24Mar 25Mar 26
55%40%25%11%−4.1%%0%14.7%50.9%34.4%Mar 24Mar 25Mar 26
Promoters cut 74.6 points over 5 quarters Shareholding by holder class, % of the company, quarterly, last 13 quarters.
PromotersForeign inst.Domestic inst.Public
81%59%37%16%−6.0%%0%15.7%51.3%33.0%Jun 23Dec 24Jun 26
81%59%37%16%−6.0%%0%15.7%51.3%33.0%Jun 23Dec 24Jun 26
11 · Safety line

Safety line The Z-score estimates how far a company sits from balance-sheet distress — above roughly 3 is safe, below roughly 1.8 is the danger zone. It was built for manufacturers, so it is not applied to banks and lenders.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd: the Z-score is omitted — it was built for manufacturers, not banks, and applying it here would be theatre. The Z-score was built for manufacturers and is not applied to banks and lenders, so solvency here is read from the capital and asset-quality lines instead.

The safety line in one sentence: the Z-score is omitted — it was built for manufacturers, not banks, and applying it here would be theatre.

12 · Valuation

Valuation For a bank we price the book, not the earnings: P/BV is what the market pays for each ₹1 of the bank's net worth. A bank below 1× book is priced below the value of what it owns, net of what it owes.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd trades at 1.4× P/BV, near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 32% of the time. Its long-run median P/BV is 1.6×, measured across 5.5 years of weekly readings. This places the multiple against the stock’s own record, and says nothing about what the business is worth.

Today's P/BV of 1.4× is near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 32% of the time, against a long-run median of 1.6× measured over 5.5 years of weekly readings. This is a comparison against the stock's own history — not a claim about what it is worth.

The honest context for that discount: a bank earning about 2% on its equity is worth less per rupee of book, and the market has priced that in rather than overlooked it. The discount closes only if the returns themselves improve.

P/BV 1.4× vs a 1.6× long-run median P/BV, weekly (left axis); book value per share, weekly (right axis). 5.5-year window; brief peaks above 2.7× shown pinned at the top. The book value / share bars are red where the reading is lower than the quarter before.
near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 32% of the time
P/BVMedianBook value / share (quarterly)
2.8×₹58.02.3×₹43.51.9×₹29.01.4×₹14.50.9×₹0.0×1.40×₹53Jan 21Jul 22Dec 23May 25Aug 26
2.8×₹58.02.3×₹43.51.9×₹29.01.4×₹14.50.9×₹0.0×1.40×₹53Jan 21Dec 23Aug 26
P/BV
1.4×
32nd percentile of 6y
PEG
0.12
derived from 3-year earnings growth

🚨 Why the multiple sits where it does: over the past year book value grew while the price moved +40.8% — price and book moved together, holding the multiple in its range.

The price move, decomposed: over 5y, of the +4.3%/yr price move, ~+12.0%/yr came from book-value growth and ~−7.7 pp from the multiple (compressing). The split is the honest approximate (price return minus book-value growth); it makes the rally itself visible instead of hiding it behind the percentile.

Put together: the multiple is low against its own past, so the story rests on the book-value line underneath it, not the multiple.

13 · Stage: Improving

Stage: Improving Every business sits somewhere on a fundamental arc, and this page names the spot before anything else. The last twelve quarters of revenue, profit and EPS growth — plus the return the business earns on its capital — are read as curves: Deteriorating (the curves are falling), Turning around (a trough has just formed and the last few quarters lift off it), Improving (the climb off the trough is sustained), Consistent (steadily positive with healthy returns), Topping out (still high but decelerating from the peak). When the curves genuinely disagree the read is Mixed; too little history is No read. CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is the smooth yearly pace that turns the starting value into the latest one — the fairest way to compare growth across different time spans. Read the columns together: if the 1-year number towers over the 10-year, recent growth is running hotter than the long-run trend. A dash means that window is not held, or the base year was a loss (where a growth rate is not meaningful).

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd reads as improving on its fundamental arc. Improving — profit growth bottomed 6 quarters ago at −86.4% and has held its recovery at +407.1% (single-quarter readings), ROE lifting at 1.7%. The read is built from 11 quarters across 3 curves, on partial evidence.

Growth, year by year: revenue +7.6% in FY26, profit −29.9% Year-over-year growth per fiscal year, %: revenue (left axis); net profit and EPS (right axis — profit growth swings far wider). Zero line drawn. Turnaround-year spikes shown pinned (▲).
Revenue YoYProfit YoYEPS YoY
7,235%331%5,295%220%3,354%109%1,413%0.0%−528%−112%%%7.6%−29.9%FY16FY21FY26
7,235%331%5,295%220%3,354%109%1,413%0.0%−528%−112%%%7.6%−29.9%FY16FY21FY26
Three growth curves, twelve quarters Year-on-year growth of trailing-twelve-month revenue (left axis), profit and EPS (right axis — they swing far wider), % at each quarter-end. Where the trailing-twelve-month history is short, the curve falls back to single-quarter year-on-year growth — noisier, and the classifier smooths and caps base-effect spikes before reading. Base-effect spikes shown pinned (▲). A missing point means that reading is not held for the quarter.
the trajectory the stage is read from · revenue stabilising
RevenueProfitEPS
24%348%20%174%15%0.0%11%−174%6.4%−348%%%10%300%−30.2%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26
24%348%20%174%15%0.0%11%−174%6.4%−348%%%10%300%−30.2%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26
ROE Trailing-twelve-month net profit as a share of quarter-end equity, %.
the return curve, computed quarterly
ROE
16%11%6.3%1.7%−3.0%%1.7%Sep 23Mar 24Dec 24Sep 25Jun 26
16%11%6.3%1.7%−3.0%%1.7%Sep 23Dec 24Jun 26
Revenue growth
Steady high
latest +10.0% · span +7.6% to +22.7%
Profit growth
Rising
latest +407.1% · span −100.0% to +100.0%
ROE
Rising
latest 1.7% · span −1.7%–14.3%

Why it matters: a sustained climb off the trough is the setup this page is built to catch — the question moves to what you pay for it.

One or more growth curves carry a base-effect spike — a large year-on-year move off a near-zero or loss-making comparable quarter. Those spikes are capped before the classifier reads the trajectory, and shown pinned on the chart, so a single distorted quarter does not drive the stage call.

A partial read: at least one curve is short, or the returns curve is not the computed quarterly series — hold the stage word a little more loosely.

Compound annual growth rate (%) Compound annual growth rate over each window, %. Revenue, profit and EPS from fiscal-year figures; share price is the price CAGR over the same spans. A dash = that window is not held, or the base was a loss.
1yr3yr5yr10yr
Revenue+7.6%+17.7%+16.3%+32.5%
Profit−29.9%−43.6%−23.1%+1.9%
EPS−30.2%−44.1%−23.2%−7.7%
Share price+40.8%−5.1%+4.3%
Revenue YoY (Jun 26)
+18.9%
latest quarter vs a year ago
Revenue 10y
32.5%
long-run compound pace
14 · 4-Factor Sector Score

4-Factor Sector Score

42.6/100 — rank 7 of 9 in Banks - Small Finance · 83% evidence confidence

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd scores 42.6 out of 100 against the 9 companies it is compared with in Banks - Small Finance, ranking 7. Price leads the evidence: RS versus the benchmark is 12.8%, but earnings trajectory is weak. Wait for revenue and profit confirmation.

The four contributions add to the total exactly: 16.9 + 9.3 + 3.2 + 13.2 = 42.6. This is the SAME number shown on the sector comparison — it is computed once, for the whole peer set, and read here.

What would change it: The read weakens if ROA rolls over or gross NPA rises while sector-relative strength deteriorates.

15 · Said versus delivered

Said versus delivered

What Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's management promised, set against what actually arrived — 4 tracked promises on the record. Read straight from the company’s own earnings calls. A promise that slipped stays on this page after it is met.

CASA and Retail Deposit Franchise Deterioration · 2 May 2026. Both prior calls reported CASA stable at 30-31% and retail deposits at 73-75%, consistent with management's stated strategy of building a granular retail deposit franchise. The May 2026 call reveals that CASA collapsed to 26% and retail deposits fell to 68% in a single quarter, as management admitted to an unforewarned tactical reversal - pivoting from actively shedding bulk deposits through Q3 to aggressively acquiring them in Q4, directly undermining the franchise-quality metrics that anchor SFB valuations without any prior-quarter indication this reversal was planned.

🚨 SBL FY27 Growth Guidance Confidence Downgrade · 2 May 2026. In the Jan 2026 call, management explicitly committed to at least 20-plus percent advances growth in small business loans for FY27, the bank's largest segment at roughly 40% of the book. In the May 2026 call, now that FY27 has commenced, management characterizes SBL as growing at only 13% and softens the outlook to suggest it might go up to a level of 20%, a material downgrade in conviction from the prior explicit commitment offered without any explanatory narrative on what changed in the underlying growth drivers.

Deposit Growth Strategy Reversal · 30 January 2026. In the November 2025 call, management guided that deposit growth would track 2-3% higher than advances growth (implying ~17-18% growth), emphasizing their efforts to bridge the gap with larger banks. However, in the January 2026 call, they reported only 7% growth and retrospectively claimed this was an intentional strategy to prevent excess liquidity, contradicting their previous growth-focused guidance. Earlier call (Nov 2025): “The deposit growth will be in line with that, you know, typically it should be about 2 to 3% higher than the advance growth.” Later call (Jan 2026): “We had to take the pedal off the deposit growth to prevent excess liquidity in the system. But we ended up with just a 7% growth in Q3 and now need to increase the momentum on deposit growth.”

Disbursement Yield Outlook Contradiction · 30 January 2026. Management explicitly stated in the November 2025 call that disbursement yields would remain stable or move upward, asserting they would 'not go down.' In the January 2026 call, they contradicted this by reporting a decline in non-MFI yields and guiding that disbursement yields are now likely to come down further due to the interest rate environment. Earlier call (Nov 2025): “Maybe we will be maintaining or will be on the upward side. It will not go down.” Later call (Jan 2026): “Our lending yields, the disbursement yield is likely to come down a bit given the overall interest rate scenario in the market. So we may also have to fall in line with that.”

Every quote above is taken word for word from the company’s own earnings calls.

16 · Related companies · Banks - Small Finance
CompanyScorePrice stageGrowth & earnings/35Capital efficiency/25Valuation/20Relative strength/20
1Ujjivan Small Finance Bank LtdUJJIVANSFB 63.1/100Mixed-positive evidence100% evidence BREAKING OUT 21.2/35 Income 14.7% · PAT 71.8% 100% evidence 18.3/25 ROA 1.2% · ROE 10.8% · GNPA 2.2% 100% evidence 6.5/20 P/BV 2.07× · P/BV÷ROE 0.19 100% evidence 17.1/20 RS sector 14.2% · RS bench 26.9% · 1Y 64.3%6 of 12 weeks ahead 100% evidence
Exact sum: 21.2 + 18.3 + 6.5 + 17.1 = 63.1 · Decision use: Strong business, demanding price: keep it on the quality list, but require either earnings upgrades or valuation compression.
2AU Small Finance Bank LtdAUBANK 61.2/100Mixed-positive evidence100% evidence TURNING 23.6/35 Income 17.3% · PAT 30.8% 100% evidence 22.3/25 ROA 1.4% · ROE 14.3% · GNPA 2.1% 100% evidence 5.9/20 P/BV 4.1× · P/BV÷ROE 0.29 100% evidence 9.4/20 RS sector 1.5% · RS bench 12.9% · 1Y 46.4%5 of 12 weeks ahead 100% evidence
Exact sum: 23.6 + 22.3 + 5.9 + 9.4 = 61.2 · Decision use: Strong business, demanding price: keep it on the quality list, but require either earnings upgrades or valuation compression.
3Capital Small Finance Bank LtdCAPITALSFB 55.5/100Mixed-positive evidence91% evidence ASLEEP 16.5/35 Income 16.2% · PAT 12.8% 95% evidence 16.5/25 ROA 1.3% · ROE 10.1% · GNPA 2.5% 95% evidence 16.5/20 P/BV 0.87× · P/BV÷ROE 0.09 70% evidence 6.0/20 RS sector -8% · RS bench 2.3% · 1Y -4.9%7 of 12 weeks ahead 100% evidence
Exact sum: 16.5 + 16.5 + 16.5 + 6 = 55.5 · Decision use: Balanced evidence: keep at normal research priority and require another comparable period before raising conviction.
4ESAF Small Finance Bank LtdESAFSFB 54.9/100Mixed-positive evidence75% evidence LEADER 21.5/35 Income 3.9% · PAT 99.3% 65% evidence 5.2/25 ROA -0.5% · ROE -8.9% · GNPA 5.4% 95% evidence 8.2/20 P/BV 1.12× · P/BV÷ROE — 40% evidence 20.0/20 RS sector 18.4% · RS bench 31% · 1Y 27.1%11 of 12 weeks ahead 100% evidence
Exact sum: 21.5 + 5.2 + 8.2 + 20 = 54.9 · Decision use: Balanced evidence: keep at normal research priority and require another comparable period before raising conviction.
5Suryoday Small Finance Bank LtdSURYODAY 52.6/100Mixed-positive evidence97% evidence FADING 31.2/35 Income 16.7% · PAT 100% 95% evidence 10.2/25 ROA 1.1% · ROE 7.6% · GNPA 6.6% 95% evidence 7.8/20 P/BV 0.78× · P/BV÷ROE 0.1 100% evidence 3.4/20 RS sector -8.5% · RS bench 1.4% · 1Y 22.4%9 of 12 weeks ahead 100% evidence
Exact sum: 31.2 + 10.2 + 7.8 + 3.4 = 52.6 · Decision use: Acceleration candidate, not a confirmed leader: earnings are strong but sector-relative strength is -8.5% and the one-year return is 22.4%. Do not upgrade until sector-relative strength is above zero and another reported period confirms growth.
6Jana Small Finance Bank LtdJSFB 51.4/100Mixed-positive evidence94% evidence LEADER 13.5/35 Income 18.3% · PAT -12.2% 100% evidence 12.0/25 ROA 0.7% · ROE 7.6% · GNPA 2.4% 100% evidence 8.6/20 P/BV 1.37× · P/BV÷ROE 0.18 70% evidence 17.3/20 RS sector 14.9% · RS bench 27.4% · 1Y 24.3%12 of 12 weeks ahead 100% evidence
Exact sum: 13.5 + 12 + 8.6 + 17.3 = 51.4 · Decision use: Price leads the evidence: RS versus the benchmark is 27.4%, but earnings trajectory is weak. Wait for revenue and profit confirmation.
7Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltdthis pageEQUITASBNK 42.6/100Mixed-negative evidence83% evidence TURNING 16.9/35 Income 10% · PAT 100% 69% evidence 9.3/25 ROA 0.2% · ROE 1.7% · GNPA 2.4% 100% evidence 3.2/20 P/BV 1.39× · P/BV÷ROE 0.83 100% evidence 13.2/20 RS sector 7.5% · RS bench 12.8% · 1Y 31.9%10 of 11 weeks ahead 70% evidence
Exact sum: 16.9 + 9.3 + 3.2 + 13.2 = 42.6 · Decision use: Price leads the evidence: RS versus the benchmark is 12.8%, but earnings trajectory is weak. Wait for revenue and profit confirmation.
8Fino Payments Bank LtdFINOPB 32.4/100Adverse evidence80% evidence BREAKING OUT 11.7/35 Income 22.8% · PAT -76.7% 81% evidence 10.8/25 ROA 1% · ROE 7.4% · GNPA — 68% evidence 6.9/20 P/BV 1.62× · P/BV÷ROE 0.22 100% evidence 3.0/20 RS sector -39.4% · RS bench -29.1% · 1Y -40.5%5 of 10 weeks ahead 70% evidence
Exact sum: 11.7 + 10.8 + 6.9 + 3 = 32.4 · Decision use: Balanced evidence: keep at normal research priority and require another comparable period before raising conviction.
9Utkarsh Small Finance Bank LtdUTKARSHBNK 24.3/100Adverse evidence77% evidence ASLEEP 10.1/35 Income -8.1% · PAT -80% 69% evidence 0.9/25 ROA -4% · ROE -40% · GNPA 6.1% 100% evidence 9.2/20 P/BV 0.9× · P/BV÷ROE — 40% evidence 4.1/20 RS sector -18.3% · RS bench -9.1% · 1Y -20%5 of 12 weeks ahead 100% evidence
Exact sum: 10.1 + 0.9 + 9.2 + 4.1 = 24.3 · Decision use: Balanced evidence: keep at normal research priority and require another comparable period before raising conviction.

Missing observations are not scored as bad. Their missing weight lowers confidence and pulls the final score toward neutral. Financial companies use P/BV÷ROE and asset quality; PEG, industrial OPM and ROCE are excluded. Under relative strength, one mark per week shows the last 12 weeks: a mark is filled where the company led NIFTY 500 by 5% or more over the 13 weeks ending that week, which is the same test used everywhere on this site. Price stage places the company on the same six-step curve the sector itself is placed on — basing, turning, breaking out, leader, fading, asleep — read from how many weeks running it has led NIFTY 500 and whether that lead is widening or shrinking. It describes where the PRICE stands, not the earnings trajectory and not a recommendation, and it is left blank for a company whose weekly history is too short or too stale to read.

17 · Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's share price today?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd trades at ₹74.5, +40.8% over the past year. The company is valued at ₹8,525 Cr. The stock sits at 72% of its 52-week range of ₹55–₹82, +7.9% versus its 200-day average. On the tape, the price is in a confirmed uptrend, 12 weeks in. — as of 14 August 2026.

What were Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's latest quarterly results?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd reported total income of ₹1,960 Cr and net profit of ₹184 Cr for the Jun 26 quarter. Earnings per share were ₹1.61. The net margin was 9.4%, 23.0 pp higher than a year earlier. Gross NPA stood at 2.42% of the loan book. — as of 14 August 2026.

What is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's revenue?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd reported revenue of ₹1,960 Cr in the Jun 26 quarter, +18.9% year on year. For the full FY26 fiscal year, revenue was ₹6,794 Cr (+7.6%). Over the last 10 years revenue compounded at 32.5% a year. — as of 14 August 2026.

What is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's profit?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd earned ₹184 Cr of net profit in the Jun 26 quarter. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹103 Cr. The net margin ran 9.4% in the latest quarter. — as of 14 August 2026.

What is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's market cap?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's market capitalisation is ₹8,525 Cr at a share price of ₹74.5. Market cap is the share price multiplied by shares outstanding, so it is restated whenever the price moves. — as of 14 August 2026.

What is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's P/BV ratio?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd trades at a P/BV of 1.4×, at the 32nd percentile of its own 6-year range, against a long-run median of 1.6×. This is a comparison with the stock's own history, not a value call — as of 14 August 2026.

Does Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd pay a dividend?

Not in its latest year — Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's dividend payout was 0% of profit in FY26. It did record a payout in 3 of its last 13 reported fiscal years, so there is a history but no current dividend. — as of 14 August 2026.

Is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd overvalued?

On its own history, Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd looks cheap: its P/BV of 1.4× has been cheaper only 32% of the time in 6 years (long-run median 1.6×). That is a percentile read against the stock's own past, not a price opinion or a direction call. — as of 14 August 2026.

How is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd performing?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd is in a confirmed uptrend, 12 weeks in. Against the NIFTY 500 it has been behind on a trailing-13-week view for 3 weeks. This describes what the data did, not a rating. — as of 14 August 2026.

What stage is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd in?

Improving — profit growth bottomed 6 quarters ago at −86.4% and has held its recovery at +407.1% (single-quarter readings), ROE lifting at 1.7%. The read comes from the last 12 quarters of growth (revenue growth +10.0% latest, profit growth +407.1% latest) plus the ROE curve, classified by deterministic rules — a trajectory read, not a buy or sell call — as of 14 August 2026.

Is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd in an uptrend?

Yes — the price is in a confirmed uptrend (week 12 of stage 2), trading +7.9% versus its 200-day average and at 72% of its 52-week range. Price stages cycle base → advance → top → decline, and the stage names where this stock sits in that cycle — as of 14 August 2026.

Is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd beating the market?

Not lately — on a trailing-13-week view Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd is currently behind the NIFTY 500 (3 weeks and counting; last ahead the week of 2026-07-24), the same metric the week-by-week ribbon on this page draws. Separately, on the cumulative view: over the last 5.8 years the stock moved +127% against the NIFTY 500's +128% — behind the index over the full window. — as of 14 August 2026.

Will Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's share price go up?

This page publishes no price forecast for Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd. What it measures instead: the share price is ₹74.5, the price is in a confirmed uptrend 12 weeks in. Its P/BV of 1.4× sits at the 32nd percentile of its own 6-year range. — as of 14 August 2026.

Is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's loan book healthy?

Gross NPA is 2.42% of Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's loan book, down from 2.92% a year ago — the 4th straight quarter of improvement, and net NPA stands at 0.71%. Falling NPAs are a loan book healing; rising NPAs are damage arriving — as of 14 August 2026.

Where is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd in its business cycle?

Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd's FY26 net margin was 1.5%, against a 12-year band of −216.7%–20.8%: mid-band by its own history — neither the peak that precedes mean-reversion nor the trough that precedes recovery. The latest quarter ran 9.4%. Profitability versus a company's own long band is the cleanest cycle clock this page holds — as of 14 August 2026.

What could break the Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd story?

The sharpest disagreement: the price moved +40.8% in a year while annual EPS moved −30.2% — the difference is re-rating, and re-rating has to be repaid with earnings. Mechanically, two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day average would end the price trend — that is the exit rule this page tracks — as of 14 August 2026.

Is Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd a stock worth studying right now?

This is not investment advice. The machine read: Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd is coiled. The quarters are improving, yet the P/BV sits at the 32nd percentile of its own 6-year range — the business is moving before the market. The sharpest open question: whether earnings grow into a price that has already moved. Every number on this page is drawn deterministically from the raw series, with no forecasts and no price opinions — as of 14 August 2026.

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