Even for a company the size of Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) -- which has a market cap of $74 billion -- a $6.4 billion stock buyback is a big deal. But for investors, it was a non-event, as the stock price increased a mere 4 cents to $68.99.
Then again, the buyback is over a period of three years. Besides, buybacks do not necessarily happen.
Currently, Credit Suisse is flush with cash because of its recent sale of Winterthur Group (the deal amounted to about $9.8 billion). Part of this windfall will go to some acquisitions. However, do not expect mega acquisitions.
The focus? It looks like Credit Suisse wants to bolster wealth management , private banking and leverage finance (such as for private equity deals). Actually, the focus may be in overseas markets, such as Asia and even the Middle East.
While other competitors -- such as Goldman Sachs (NYSE: CS) -- have had standout stock performances, Credit Suisse has been a big of a laggard. It looks like the company still does not have much of a strategy to thrill shareholders.
Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.
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