Stock market analyst Ashwani Gujral has maintained 'buy' rating on Karnataka Bank Ltd stock with short term target of Rs 197.

According to analyst, the investors can buy the stock stop loss of Rs 155.

Today, the stock opened at Rs 174.50 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The share price has seen a 52-week high of Rs 176 and a low of Rs 111 on BSE.

Current EPS & P/E ratio stood at 12.54 and 14.65 respectively.

There were reports that Axis Bank was interested in purchasing the old-generation private sector lender.

Karnataka Bank Ltd is a private sector bank is based in Karnataka, India. The country's central bank has named the bank as an A-class scheduled commercial bank.

Now, Karnataka Bank has a national presence with a total branch network of around 463 across 19 states and 2 Union Territories. It has more than 4,800 employees and 3.5 million clients, comprising agriculturists and crafts persons in villages and small towns all over India.

The shares of the bank are entirely privately-owned by around 68,942 stockowners.