Head to Head Review: First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) versus Old National Bancorp (NASDAQ:ONB)

Old National Bancorp (NASDAQ:ONB) and First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, earnings and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Old National Bancorp and First Western Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Old National Bancorp	17.39%	14.95%	1.19%
First Western Financial	6.91%	4.91%	0.42%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

83.7% of Old National Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 60.3% of First Western Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Old National Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.5% of First Western Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Old National Bancorp and First Western Financial”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Old National Bancorp	$2.32 billion	3.49	$539.19 million	$1.71	12.14
First Western Financial	$180.33 million	1.28	$8.47 million	$1.29	18.48

Old National Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Western Financial. Old National Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Western Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Old National Bancorp has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Western Financial has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Old National Bancorp and First Western Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Old National Bancorp	0	4	7	1	2.75
First Western Financial	1	2	2	0	2.20

Old National Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $26.27, suggesting a potential upside of 26.55%. First Western Financial has a consensus price target of $24.33, suggesting a potential upside of 2.07%. Given Old National Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Old National Bancorp is more favorable than First Western Financial.

Summary

Old National Bancorp beats First Western Financial on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Old National Bancorp

Old National Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Old National Bank that provides various financial services to individual and commercial customers in the United States. It accepts deposit accounts, including noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing checking, negotiable order of withdrawal, savings and money market, and time deposits; and offers loans, such as home equity lines of credit, residential real estate loans, consumer loans, commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, agricultural loans, letters of credit, and lease financing. The company also provides debit and automated teller machine cards, telephone access, online banking, and other electronic and mobile banking services; cash management, private banking, brokerage, trust, investment advisory, and other traditional banking services; wealth management, investment, and foreign currency services; and treasury management, merchant, and capital markets services, as well as community development lending and equity investment solutions. The company was founded in 1834 and is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana.

About First Western Financial

First Western Financial, Inc., a financial holding company, provides wealth advisory, private baking, personal trust, investment management, mortgage lending, and institutional asset management services. The company operates through two segments: Wealth Management and Mortgage. The Wealth Management segment provides deposit, loan, life insurance, and trust and investment management advisory products and services. The Mortgage segment engages in soliciting, originating, and selling mortgage loans into the secondary market. It serves entrepreneurs, professionals, high net worth individuals or families, and business and philanthropic organizations. First Western Financial, Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.