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THE FINANCEBASE List yours

Guide

How to Choose Between SBI, Bank of Baroda and Punjab & Sind Bank Shares

By TheFinanceBase Team 9 min read

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Punjab & Sind Bank, SBI and Bank of Baroda suit different kinds of research—not one universal winner. SBI’s FY2026 figures show scale alongside strong reported profitability and asset-quality indicators; Bank of Baroda had the largest reported FY26 net profit among the two banks in the Department of Financial Services comparison cited here; and Punjab & Sind Bank reported higher CRAR than Bank of Baroda in that comparison. Those are starting points, not buy signals: the periods and available measures are not fully aligned, and comparable current valuations for all three are not established here.

To decide which stock merits closer study, compare each bank’s earnings quality, asset quality, capital, business mix and valuation using the same reporting period and market close. The figures below are attributed to their sources; historical or mismatched measures should not be treated as a live ranking.

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At a glance

Name Best for Key spec Checked
State Bank of India (SBI) Investors researching scale and established earnings FY2026: net profit ₹80,032 crore; ROA 1.12%; gross NPA 1.49% November 2026
Bank of Baroda Investors examining the highest reported FY26 profit among the two banks in the cited government comparison At March 31, 2026: net profit ₹20,021 crore; CRAR 15.82% November 2026
Punjab & Sind Bank Investors researching a smaller bank and comparatively high reported capital ratio At March 31, 2026: net profit ₹1,322 crore; CRAR 17.42% November 2026

Prices checked November 2026.

These are sourced reference figures, not current stock valuations or recommendations. SBI figures are for FY2026; the Department of Financial Services figures for Bank of Baroda and Punjab & Sind Bank are dated March 31, 2026. Read the periods and definitions before comparing.

Which public-sector bank stock suits which investor?

Use the banks’ reported strengths to decide what to investigate next, not to decide what to buy. SBI is a natural research candidate if scale and reported earnings are important to you. Bank of Baroda merits attention if you want to examine the strongest reported FY26 profit among the two banks in the cited government table. Punjab & Sind Bank may interest investors looking at a smaller bank with higher reported CRAR than Bank of Baroda—but that capital figure does not settle questions about asset quality, concentration or valuation.

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None of these angles establishes that a stock is suitable for your portfolio. Suitability depends on your objectives, time horizon, risk tolerance, diversification and the price you would pay. A bank with a large profit can still be expensive; a bank with high capital can still face credit or earnings risks; and a lower NPA ratio is not a guarantee against future losses.

What do the reported figures actually show?

The available metrics point to different things, and they are not a complete three-bank comparison. SBI’s FY2026 highlights provide a broader set of profitability, capital and asset-quality indicators. The government’s public-sector-bank comparison supplies net profit, CRAR and government ownership for Bank of Baroda and Punjab & Sind Bank as of March 31, 2026. The figures should not be read as if every bank were measured on an identical reporting basis.

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Bank and source period Reported figures What the figures can tell you—and what they cannot
SBI, FY2026 ROA 1.12%; ROE 18.57%; CRAR 15.40%; gross NPA 1.49%; net NPA 0.39%; NIM 2.91%; net profit ₹80,032 crore; advances growth 16.87% year over year A useful set of earnings, capital and asset-quality indicators for SBI. It is not a matched comparison with all the same measures for the other two banks.
Bank of Baroda, as of March 31, 2026 CRAR 15.82%; net profit ₹20,021 crore; Government of India shareholding 63.97% Shows capital, profit and ownership at the stated date. It does not show a comparable ROA or asset-quality ratio in the figures available here.
Punjab & Sind Bank, as of March 31, 2026 CRAR 17.42%; net profit ₹1,322 crore; Government of India shareholding 93.85% Shows a higher reported CRAR than Bank of Baroda in the cited government table, but not comparable asset-quality or return-on-asset measures.

Sources: SBI’s FY2026 financial highlights, SBI’s Q4FY26 results release, and the Department of Financial Services’ Banking Analytics.

Profit in rupees is an absolute amount, not an efficiency score. SBI’s ₹80,032 crore FY26 net profit cannot be fairly set against Bank of Baroda’s ₹20,021 crore or Punjab & Sind Bank’s ₹1,322 crore without accounting for differences in business size, mix and reporting. Ratios such as ROA and ROE help put earnings in context, but they too need consistent periods, accounting definitions and consideration of one-off items.

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How should you compare earnings quality?

Look beyond the headline profit. ROA, ROE and NIM help describe different aspects of profitability, while operating efficiency and the source of earnings help you judge whether results may be sustainable.

  • ROA (return on assets) relates profit to the bank’s asset base. SBI reported 1.12% for FY2026. Comparable figures for Bank of Baroda and Punjab & Sind Bank are not supplied in the cited government table, so this does not establish which of the three is most efficient.
  • ROE (return on equity) relates profit to shareholders’ equity. SBI reported 18.57% for FY2026. Read it alongside capital and risk: a high return is not automatically attractive if it is accompanied by greater exposure or is unlikely to persist.
  • NIM (net interest margin) indicates the spread between interest earned and interest paid, relative to the relevant earning base. SBI reported a 2.91% FY2026 NIM. Punjab & Sind Bank’s FY25 earnings-call transcript records its managing director and CEO, Swarup Kumar Saha, saying that the financial-year NIM rose by 40 basis points to 2.85%. That FY25 statement is from an earlier period and should not be compared directly with SBI’s FY26 figure as if the dates matched. See the Punjab & Sind Bank FY25 earnings-call transcript.
  • Operating efficiency and one-off items matter because reported profit can reflect costs, recoveries or other items that may not recur. Review the full annual report and results presentation for each bank, rather than inferring sustainable earnings from net profit alone.
  • Growth needs context too. SBI reported advances growth of 16.87% year over year in FY2026. Growth can support future earnings, but assess its funding, pricing and credit quality rather than treating a higher growth rate as automatically better.

How much weight should you give asset quality?

Gross and net NPA ratios are useful warning indicators, but they are not a complete forecast of future credit losses. SBI reported gross NPA of 1.49% and net NPA of 0.39% for FY2026. The cited government comparison does not supply corresponding asset-quality ratios or ROA for Bank of Baroda and Punjab & Sind Bank, so the SBI figures do not support a three-way asset-quality ranking.

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When reviewing each bank’s filings, examine gross and net NPA together with slippages (loans newly turning non-performing), credit cost and provisioning coverage. A low NPA ratio can coexist with future risk if fresh problem loans emerge, provisions are insufficient for eventual losses, or exposure is concentrated in vulnerable borrowers or sectors. Definitions and dates also matter: compare figures for the same quarter or financial year, and check how each bank defines the measure.

A September 2026 Punjab & Sind Bank presentation result hosted by a third party reports additional asset-quality, capital and profitability metrics. Because the result is not verified here against an official stock-exchange filing, its figures should not be treated as confirmed comparable evidence. For a decision, use an official filing or the bank’s own results materials and check that the reported period and definitions match those used for the other banks.

What does CRAR tell you about each bank?

CRAR, or the capital-to-risk-weighted-assets ratio, indicates capital relative to risk-weighted assets. In the Department of Financial Services’ comparison dated March 31, 2026, Bank of Baroda reported 15.82% and Punjab & Sind Bank 17.42%; SBI reported 15.40% for FY2026 in its own highlights. Treat these as dated reference points, not a definitive capital ranking across identical reporting bases.

A higher CRAR can provide a larger capital buffer at that point in time, but it is not an assurance of returns or immunity from loss. Consider the ratio’s trend, the bank’s growth ambitions and whether capital may need to support future expansion or absorb credit losses. Government ownership is a separate fact: the Department of Financial Services reported government shareholding of 63.97% in Bank of Baroda and 93.85% in Punjab & Sind Bank at March 31, 2026. Ownership percentages do not guarantee a particular share price, dividend or rescue outcome.

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Which bank is cheapest by valuation?

The available figures do not establish which of these stocks is cheapest today. A meaningful valuation comparison requires prices and multiples calculated at the same market close, and then interpreted in light of sustainable earnings, asset quality, growth and capital.

SBI’s FY2026 highlights list a year-end share price of ₹979.40, market capitalization of ₹9,04,047 crore, P/E of 11.18 and price-to-book of 1.91. These are historical FY26 year-end figures, not current market values in November 2026. The available data does not verify same-date current multiples for all three banks, so do not use SBI’s historical P/E or price-to-book to claim that it is cheaper or dearer than Bank of Baroda or Punjab & Sind Bank.

For a fair check, record the three share prices from the same trading date, calculate or source P/E and price-to-book consistently, and confirm the earnings or book-value period used in each multiple. A low P/E may reflect expectations of weaker profits or higher risk; a lower price-to-book may reflect doubts about sustainable returns or asset quality. A multiple is a starting point for investigation, not a standalone verdict.

What risks can affect all three bank stocks?

Public-sector status does not remove ordinary banking and market risks. All three stocks can be affected by credit cycles, the cost and availability of deposits, changes in interest rates, regulation, competition and swings in market prices. Higher funding costs or weaker loan performance can pressure margins and profitability; market prices can also fall even when a bank reports positive results.

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There is an additional comparison risk here: SBI’s supplied financial data is for FY2026, the government table is dated March 31, 2026, and the surfaced September 2026 Punjab & Sind Bank presentation result is third-party-hosted and unverified against an official filing. Do not combine these into a single synchronized snapshot. Before acting, retrieve the latest official results and filings for all three, confirm the reporting dates and metric definitions, and use market data from one common trading close.

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How can you decide which one deserves further research?

  1. Set your screen before looking at a winner. Decide whether your priority is earnings consistency, asset quality, capital, growth, valuation or a combination. This prevents one striking ratio from dominating the decision.
  2. Collect aligned documents. Use official annual reports, quarterly results and exchange filings for each bank. Match the same financial period wherever possible; if periods differ, label them clearly rather than ranking the numbers as equivalent.
  3. Compare profitability in context. Review ROA, ROE, NIM and operating efficiency, then check whether profits include unusual items. Do not rank banks by raw net profit alone.
  4. Assess loan risk. Compare gross and net NPA, slippages, credit cost and provisioning coverage using consistent definitions and dates. Investigate concentrations and trends, not just the latest ratio.
  5. Read capital alongside plans. Check CRAR and its direction over time against expected business growth and capital requirements. A single high reading is not enough to infer lower risk or better returns.
  6. Compare valuation at one market close. Use common-date prices and consistent P/E and price-to-book calculations. Interpret them in relation to expected sustainable returns, growth and risks; the supplied historical SBI multiples cannot answer which is cheapest now.
  7. Apply your own portfolio constraints. Consider how much bank-stock and public-sector exposure you already hold, your time horizon and your capacity for price volatility. This is a research framework, not individualized financial advice.

On the evidence available, SBI offers the broadest supplied FY26 set of earnings and asset-quality measures; Bank of Baroda is the larger reported-profit case among the two banks in the cited government comparison; and Punjab & Sind Bank has the higher reported CRAR of those two. Those distinctions identify questions to investigate—they do not resolve valuation, risk-adjusted returns or personal suitability.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a high CRAR mean a bank stock is safer?

CRAR is one capital measure at a stated date, not a guarantee against losses or a forecast of share-price performance. Compare its trend with the bank’s risk exposure, growth plans and asset quality before drawing conclusions.

Should I use dividend yield to choose a bank stock?

Dividend yield is the annual dividend per share divided by the share price, so it changes when either amount changes. Check the declared dividend and current price from reliable, same-date information, and do not treat a high yield alone as proof that a stock is undervalued.

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Can I compare these banks using their share prices alone?

No. A share price by itself does not show how large or valuable a company is, because the number of shares outstanding differs. Market capitalization and valuation measures add context, but they still need consistent dates and definitions.

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