HDB vs. L: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on August 26, 2025

Here’s a clear look at HDB and L, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Profile

HDB trades as an American Depositary Receipt (ADR), offering U.S. investors a convenient way to access its foreign-listed shares. In contrast, L is a standard domestic listing.

Symbol	HDB	L
Company Name	HDFC Bank Limited	Loews Corporation
Country	India	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry	Banks	Insurance
Market Capitalization	186.23 billion USD	19.84 billion USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	July 20, 2001	March 17, 1980
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of HDB and L by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period. Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

HDB vs. L: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Historical Performance at a Glance

Symbol	HDB	L
5-Day Price Return	-1.30%	-0.31%
13-Week Price Return	1.23%	9.20%
26-Week Price Return	15.61%	14.89%
52-Week Price Return	20.57%	20.42%
Month-to-Date Return	-2.67%	5.64%
Year-to-Date Return	10.84%	12.94%
10-Day Avg. Volume	7.23M	0.75M
3-Month Avg. Volume	9.44M	0.76M
3-Month Volatility	12.62%	14.46%
Beta	0.89	0.74

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

HDB

13.78%

Banks Industry

Max: 26.37%
Q3: 15.92%
Median: 12.25%
Q1: 8.69%
Min: 0.15%

HDB’s Return on Equity of 13.78% is on par with the norm for the Banks industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

L

7.81%

Insurance Industry

Max: 29.03%
Q3: 18.11%
Median: 13.90%
Q1: 10.42%
Min: -0.64%

L’s Return on Equity of 7.81% is in the lower quartile for the Insurance industry. This indicates a less efficient generation of profit from its equity base when compared to its competitors.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Return on Equity (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

HDB

32.49%

Banks Industry

Max: 54.20%
Q3: 35.70%
Median: 28.97%
Q1: 22.53%
Min: 6.98%

HDB’s Net Profit Margin of 32.49% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Banks industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

L

7.45%

Insurance Industry

Max: 26.78%
Q3: 14.06%
Median: 9.15%
Q1: 5.48%
Min: -7.05%

L’s Net Profit Margin of 7.45% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Insurance industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

HDB

42.04%

Banks Industry

Max: 63.35%
Q3: 44.59%
Median: 37.24%
Q1: 28.25%
Min: 13.37%

HDB’s Operating Profit Margin of 42.04% is around the midpoint for the Banks industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

L

12.10%

Insurance Industry

Max: 35.49%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 14.35%
Q1: 8.53%
Min: -5.25%

In the Insurance industry, Operating Profit Margin is often not the primary measure of operational efficiency.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Operating Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	HDB	L
Return on Equity (TTM)	13.78%	7.81%
Return on Assets (TTM)	1.64%	1.62%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	32.49%	7.45%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	42.04%	12.10%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

HDB

Banks Industry

Max: --
Q3: --
Median: --
Q1: --
Min: --

For the Banks industry, the Current Ratio is often not the most suitable measure of short-term liquidity.

L

287.78

Insurance Industry

Max: 2.97
Q3: 1.33
Median: 0.55
Q1: 0.15
Min: 0.00

For the Insurance industry, the Current Ratio is often not the most suitable measure of short-term liquidity.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Current Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

HDB

1.11

Banks Industry

Max: 4.75
Q3: 2.62
Median: 1.02
Q1: 0.39
Min: 0.00

The Debt-to-Equity Ratio is often not the primary focus for assessing leverage in the Banks industry.

L

0.51

Insurance Industry

Max: 1.25
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.34
Q1: 0.22
Min: 0.00

The Debt-to-Equity Ratio is often not the primary focus for assessing leverage in the Insurance industry.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)

HDB

Banks Industry

Max: --
Q3: --
Median: --
Q1: --
Min: --

The Interest Coverage Ratio is often not a primary indicator of debt servicing capacity in the Banks industry.

L

6.18

Insurance Industry

Max: 43.68
Q3: 20.84
Median: 9.56
Q1: 3.34
Min: -5.73

The Interest Coverage Ratio is often not a primary indicator of debt servicing capacity in the Insurance industry.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	HDB	L
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	287.78
Quick Ratio (MRQ)	--	287.78
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	1.11	0.51
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	--	6.18

Growth

Revenue Growth

HDB vs. L: A side-by-side comparison of their Revenue Growth for the MRQ (YoY), TTM (YoY), 3-Year CAGR, and 5-Year CAGR periods.

EPS Growth

HDB vs. L: A side-by-side comparison of their EPS Growth for the MRQ (YoY), TTM (YoY), 3-Year CAGR, and 5-Year CAGR periods.

Dividend

Dividend Yield (TTM)

HDB

0.97%

Banks Industry

Max: 10.27%
Q3: 5.83%
Median: 3.81%
Q1: 2.50%
Min: 0.00%

HDB’s Dividend Yield of 0.97% is in the lower quartile for the Banks industry. This suggests the company’s strategy likely favors retaining earnings for growth over providing a high dividend income.

L

0.26%

Insurance Industry

Max: 8.23%
Q3: 4.54%
Median: 3.42%
Q1: 1.97%
Min: 0.00%

L’s Dividend Yield of 0.26% is in the lower quartile for the Insurance industry. This suggests the company’s strategy likely favors retaining earnings for growth over providing a high dividend income.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Dividend Yield (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

HDB

83.17%

Banks Industry

Max: 147.07%
Q3: 80.55%
Median: 54.40%
Q1: 35.71%
Min: 0.00%

HDB’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 83.17% is in the upper quartile for the Banks industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.

L

3.93%

Insurance Industry

Max: 168.02%
Q3: 85.57%
Median: 50.71%
Q1: 22.04%
Min: 0.00%

L’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 3.93% is in the lower quartile for the Insurance industry. This suggests a conservative dividend policy, with a strategic focus on reinvesting profits for future growth.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	HDB	L
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.97%	0.26%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	83.17%	3.93%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

HDB

21.65

Banks Industry

Max: 20.05
Q3: 12.65
Median: 10.21
Q1: 7.54
Min: 2.74

At 21.65, HDB’s P/E Ratio is exceptionally high, exceeding the typical maximum for the Banks industry. This suggests the stock may be significantly overvalued compared to its peers and implies high market expectations that could be difficult to meet.

L

14.85

Insurance Industry

Max: 28.91
Q3: 17.76
Median: 13.63
Q1: 10.02
Min: 2.89

L’s P/E Ratio of 14.85 is within the middle range for the Insurance industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

HDB

6.77

Banks Industry

Max: 5.06
Q3: 2.98
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.59
Min: 0.45

The P/S Ratio is often not a primary valuation tool in the Banks industry.

L

1.11

Insurance Industry

Max: 3.72
Q3: 1.98
Median: 1.23
Q1: 0.81
Min: 0.23

L’s P/S Ratio of 1.11 aligns with the market consensus for the Insurance industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

HDB

2.83

Banks Industry

Max: 2.18
Q3: 1.36
Median: 1.09
Q1: 0.81
Min: 0.20

At 2.83, HDB’s P/B Ratio is at an extreme premium to the Banks industry. This signifies that the market’s valuation is heavily reliant on future potential rather than its current net asset value, which can be a high-risk proposition.

L

1.10

Insurance Industry

Max: 4.37
Q3: 2.48
Median: 1.68
Q1: 1.19
Min: 0.19

L’s P/B Ratio of 1.10 is in the lower quartile for the Insurance industry. From a value investing perspective, this is favorable, as it suggests the stock is trading at a discount to its net asset value and may offer a greater margin of safety.

HDB vs. L: A comparison of their Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Banks and Insurance industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	HDB	L
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	21.65	14.85
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	6.77	1.11
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	2.83	1.10
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (TTM)	12.41	6.52