Doug Hughes focuses on lesser-known, small cap regional banks; the editor of Bank Newsletter looks for banks that operate in attractive regional markets, often ones that would be attractive acquisition targets.
AvidBank Holdings (AVBH) has the fastest growth of any bank out there and yet is still one of the safest with almost no bad loans, and a great, great market area in Palo Alto, California.
Management knows what it is doing and they will likely sell within 3 years. Earnings power is $3.00 a share by 2018. This is a great bank that is operating in great markets.
I consider the shares to be very safe, make it a top holding in the current environment.
With rates going up and most large regionals banks up 30% or more recently a deal price would now have to be at least 2.5 times book or $32 a share.
In my view, this stock has almost zero downside risk in an otherwise high-risk market. Buy now and sleep well. I consider the stock to have an excellent risk-reward ratio.
