Wealthy investors are selling Commonwealth Bank of Australia Ltd (ASX: CBA) shares and buying up CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), data shows.
This was the dominant trend among advised high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with self-managed super funds (SMSFs) above $3 million in July.
HNWIs are people with investable assets worth US$1 million or more.
They are usually experienced and skilled investors who can afford professional advice and have access to better research on ASX shares.
Wholesale trading platform provider AUSIEX has released data showing the top 10 ASX shares bought by advised HNWIs last month.
ASX 200 healthcare giant CSL was the favoured investment, being the most bought stock among advised HNWI investors in July.
Meanwhile, advised HNWIs commonly sold CBA shares last month.
Why might this be the case?
Latest broker predictions give us a clue.
Here's what the experts say about these ASX 200 blue-chip stocks
This trend is interesting as it pits two mega ASX 200 blue-chip shares against each other.
CSL is the largest ASX 200 healthcare share and the third largest stock on the share market.
CBA is the largest ASX 200 financial stock and also the share market's biggest company overall.
Here's what the experts think of each of these ASX 200 stalwart shares right now.
Experts pessimistic on CBA shares, with price 'detached from fundamentals'
CBA shares have risen by 70% since the start of their run in November 2023.
The CBA share price hit an all-time intraday peak of $192 on 25 June.
Since then, the premier ASX 200 bank share has lost 11% in value to be trading at $170.89 per share at the time of writing.
Last week, CBA reported a 7% rise in statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) to $10.1 billion for FY25.
CBA investors were less than impressed, despite the bumped-up final dividend of $2.60 per share.
After reviewing the result, Macquarie maintained an underperform rating on CBA shares with a 12-month share price target of $105.
The broker said:
While we believe CBA is still a better franchise than peers, with minimal earnings growth forecasted over the next three years and further downside risk to consensus, we believe valuation of ~28x FY26E P/E and ~3.5x P/B remains detached from fundamentals.
Morgans also looked over the numbers and retained its sell rating with an improved price target of $100.85.
The broker said:
We remain SELL rated on CBA, recommending clients aggressively reduce overweight positions given the risk of poor future investment returns arising from the overvalued share price and mid-single digit EPS/DPS growth outlook.
Bell Potter has a sell recommendation and a price target of $118.4 on CBA shares.
Some brokers think investors should hold their CBA shares but not buy more at this price level.
On The Bull, John Athanasiou from Red Leaf said CBA shares were trading at a premium, limiting near-term catalysts for growth.
Brokers say buy 'undervalued' CSL shares
CSL reported its financial results today.
The CSL share price is currently $236.26, down 13% today.
The company announced a 17% profit increase and the demerger of its Seqirus division, which will become a separate ASX-listed entity.
Prior to the report, UBS had buy rating and a 12-month price target of $310 on CSL shares.
UBS said CSL shares were "undervalued in a status-quo operating environment".
Meanwhile, Bell Potter had a buy rating and $305 price target on CSL shares.
Michael Gable from Fairmont Equities had a hold rating on CSL shares.
Gable said (courtesy The Bull):
This global biotechnology giant provides medicines to patients in more than 100 countries.
The company makes vaccines to prevent influenza. Its medicines treat haemophilia and immune deficiencies, and it offers therapies in iron deficiency and nephrology.
The share price is starting to recover from its lows in response to mixed first half results in fiscal year 2025 and uncertainty surrounding US tariffs.
We view CSL as a solid hold for capital growth and income.
Over the coming days, we will learn what the brokers think of CSL's results and Seqirus demerger.
