The NatWest Group (LSE: NWG) share price has been skyrocketing in 2024, and it’s up 47% up to now 5 years now.

Interim outcomes on 26 July gave it an extra enhance to hit a recent 52-week excessive. As I write, I’m taking a look at a 7% hike to 362p.

Revenue dip

Income declined as anticipated within the first half of the 12 months. And these outcomes come a day after Lloyds Banking Group had posted a 15% drop in revenue after tax.

In NatWest’s case, the autumn was a softer 7.5%, leading to a revenue of £2.2bn. Return on tangible fairness got here in at a robust 16.4%.

And key for me, the financial institution lifted the interim dividend by a really good 9%, to 6p per share. If we get the identical hike within the last dividend, we could possibly be taking a look at a full-year yield of 5.5%, forward of the forecast 5%.

CEO Paul Thwaite mentioned: “We are also pleased with the continued reduction of the Government’s stake, which has almost halved this year.” And I believe it must be behind a number of the enchancment in market sentiment.

Mortgages

In different information, the CEO additionally advised us that “we’re buying £2.5bn of prime residential mortgages from Metro Financial institution and, in consequence, sit up for welcoming round 10,000 clients to NatWest Group.“

That information was good for the Metro Financial institution share price too, up 5% in early buying and selling.

With NatWest’s rising curiosity within the UK mortgage market, all eyes might be on the following Financial institution of England rate of interest assembly. We gained’t have lengthy to attend, because it comes on 1 August.

The tipsters put the possibility of the primary minimize since 2020 at 50%, with 1 / 4 level discount the most definitely. I’m not holding my breath, amid fears that inflation is rising once more from the two% goal it hit in June.

Valuation

With new-found optimism, NatWest has upped its full-year steerage. From 12% at FY outcomes time, the financial institution now expects to hit a 14% return on tangible fairness.

And it lifted its earnings goal (excluding notable objects) from the £13bn-£13.5bn vary to £14bn

What does all this imply for the inventory valuation?

Properly, does this sound like an organization that needs to be on a lowly price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of simply 8.3? It doesn’t to me. However that’s the place forecasts had it earlier than this newest replace. And what a few a number of of solely 6.8 by 2026?

All of it makes me suppose NatWest shares could possibly be screaming ‘cheap’, so what would possibly I be lacking?

The dangers

Properly, there’s the truth that the dividend, whereas higher than anticipated, remains to be low in comparison with what some FTSE 100 shares are providing. Authorized & Common is on a ahead yield of 8.9%, so possibly the good funding cash ought to go into insurance coverage shares?

I additionally surprise if there’s an excessive amount of optimism round inflation, which we actually can’t say is overwhelmed but.

After which falling rates of interest would imply decrease lending margins for banks.

Nonetheless, taking a look at this set of outcomes and at these forecast valuations, I believe NatWest Group must be one to contemplate.