'Fast Money' Recap: Which Bank Stocks Should You Buy Now?

The trading panel looked at banks, the euro and technology stocks.
By Bret Kenwell ,

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- All 31 banks passed their stress tests, showing they have sufficient capital ratios. The test puts the bank through a rigorous scenario, one that involves -6.1% GDP growth, 10% unemployment, and $110 per barrel Brent crude prices, among other criteria. 

The test is somewhat "absurd," said Paul Miller, managing director at FBR Capital Markets. He said during CNBC's "Fast Money" Thursday. While it gives investors and consumers faith in the banking system, there's no doubt that the banks would struggle in this type of environment. It will be important to see how much capital the banks will be able to return when those results are released next week. 

Miller's top pick is Bank of America (BAC) - Get Report, which he rates outperform with a $20 price target. He is "still on the sidelines" with Zions Bancorporation (ZION) - Get Report, which did a good job this year because it passed the stress test. However, it's "just not growing," he said. 

Karen Finerman, president of Metropolitan Capital Advisors, agreed the tests are "absurd" given the criteria, and her top pick is Bank of America as well. However, rather than dividends, she said it would be better to see a share buyback plan, which is more accretive to earnings per share. 

Bank of America is attractive, but Citigroup (C) - Get Report has the lowest valuation and the most to gain from next week's release of the capital return plans, said Tim Seymour, managing partner of Triogem Asset Management. He added that a big dividend is unlikely, but a boost in buybacks would be appealing. 

While doing the stress test makes sense, "it's never the bus you see coming" that causes the biggest mess, said Guy Adami, managing director of stockmonster.com. In other words, while the Federal Reserve's test makes sense, it will probably not be able to prevent the next big decline. His top pick is U.S. Bancorp (USB) - Get Report, which has an attractive dividend yield. 

The whole financial sector has already risen quite a lot, making many of the stocks unattractive, said Brian Kelly, founder of Brian Kelly Capital. However, Bank of America is the one stock that hasn't run as much, making it the most attractive. However, the Fed's decision on its future rate hike will likely have the biggest impact on the financials.

Adami said the euro is headed lower, down to parity with the U.S. dollar. In other words, the value between the two currencies would be the same in this scenario, where $1 equals 1 euro. Kelly agreed but thinks parity with the U.S. dollar may not happen until the second half of this year, if it indeed happens at all. 

Seymour disagreed, saying the euro has support at 1.08 and the improving economy will give strength to the currency.

Guest Mark Mahaney, managing director at RBC Capital Markets, said investors can stay long Amazon (AMZN) - Get Report, his top pick for 2015, despite the 25% year-to-date rally. While the stock has moved higher recently, it's basically flat over the past 12 months, he argued. 

He also likes Priceline.com (PCLN) , which is well-situated to take advantage of the increased travel out of China over the next several years. 

Adami said investors seem better off taking profits in Amazon near current levels rather than buying it. However, if the stock gets above $400 per share, investors can consider buying it on the breakout. 

For their final trades, Seymour is selling eBay (EBAY) - Get Report and Finerman is a buyer of Michael Kors (KORS) . Kelly is buying The Andersons (ANDE) - Get Report and Adami said to buy Blackstone (BX) - Get Report

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