The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price has declined 19% since 25 June 2025, as the chart below shows, which is a large decline for such a big business.
After such a big drop, investors may be wondering if this is a good time to buy into the ASX bank share.
CBA is commonly viewed as one of the highest-quality banks in the world, and comes with a price tag that reflects that (or even more).
Let's take a look at whether a leading fund manager thinks the bank is a buy or still overvalued.
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Earnings disappointed
Fund manager L1 Capital recently pointed out that the CBA share price declined 11% during November as the FY26 first quarter's earnings disappointed on its profit margins and as elevated technology inflation led to increased costs.
L1 pointed out that management noted caution regarding increasing competition, especially in deposits, which the market feared could indicate "further risk to margins going forward".
CBA reported that in the three months to September 2025, cash net profit was up 2% year-over-year. The bank said that its underlying net interest margin (NIM) was "slightly lower due to deposit switching, competition and the lower cash rate environment."
The Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn said:
We recognise cost-of-living pressures remain a challenge for many. Despite escalating geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty, we are optimistic on the outlook for the country. We are closely watching the increased competitive intensity and implications across the financial system, and we will continue to adjust our settings as appropriate.
The Australian economy remains resilient. Economic growth is recovering and disposable income is rising for many households. We remain focused on our strategy to build a brighter future for all.
It's telling that the bank is highlighting that competition is worth watching during this period.
Is the CBA share price a buy?
L1 said that while the CBA share price has dropped from more than $190 in June to close to $150 recently, it still trades on a valuation with a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of around 26x consensus estimates. In other words, that's what a group of analysts think the business could deliver.
According to the fund manager, this valuation is still "3 standard deviations above its 30-year average". In other words, the P/E ratio is much higher than it has been over most of the last three decades.
L1 also pointed out that the CBA share price traded at almost 3.5x tangible book value, which is higher than any developed market bank with a large market capitalisation has ever traded.
The fund concluded:
We believe this valuation is hard to justify in the context of limited earnings growth over the next 2 years (~2% p.a. EPSCAGR). In addition, while many investors own Australia's banks for their strong dividends, CBA is currently offering a yield of only 3.2%.
