First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP – Get Free Report) and City (NASDAQ:CHCO – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk and institutional ownership.
Dividends
First BanCorp. pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. City pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. First BanCorp. pays out 35.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. City pays out 38.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First BanCorp. has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years and City has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. First BanCorp. is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
97.9% of First BanCorp. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.4% of City shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of First BanCorp. shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of City shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Volatility & Risk
Profitability
This table compares First BanCorp. and City’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| First BanCorp. | 28.31% | 17.51% | 1.76% |
| City | 32.72% | 16.58% | 1.96% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares First BanCorp. and City”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| First BanCorp. | $1.26 billion | 3.12 | $344.87 million | $2.25 | 11.26 |
| City | $398.98 million | 4.53 | $130.49 million | $9.08 | 14.12 |
First BanCorp. has higher revenue and earnings than City. First BanCorp. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than City, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for First BanCorp. and City, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| First BanCorp. | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3.00 |
| City | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2.17 |
First BanCorp. presently has a consensus target price of $25.86, suggesting a potential upside of 2.10%. City has a consensus target price of $134.25, suggesting a potential upside of 4.70%. Given City’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe City is more favorable than First BanCorp..
Summary
First BanCorp. beats City on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
About First BanCorp.
First BanCorp. operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides a range of financial products and services to consumers and commercial customers. The company operates through six segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Mortgage Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment offers commercial loans, including commercial real estate and construction loans, as well as other products, such as cash management and business management services. The Mortgage Banking segment engages in the origination, sale, and servicing of various residential mortgage loans; hedging activities; and purchase of mortgage loans from branch and mortgage bankers. The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment provides auto loans, finance leases, boat and personal loans, credit card loans, and lines of credit; and interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking and savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts and retail certificates of deposit (CDs), as well as insurance agency services. The Treasury and Investments segment offers funding and liquidity management services. The United States Operations segment provides checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as retail CDs; traditional commercial and industrial, and commercial real estate loans, residential mortgages, term and construction loan, home equity loans, lines of credit, FHLB advances, and brokered CDs; and internet banking, cash management, remote deposit capture, and automated clearing house transactions services. The Virgin Islands Operations segment is involved in consumer, commercial lending, and deposit-taking activities. First BanCorp. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
About City
City Holding Company operates as a holding company for City National Bank of West Virginia that provides various banking, trust, and investment management, and other financial solutions in the United States. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and individual retirement accounts. It also provides commercial and industrial loans that consist of loans to corporate and other legal entity borrowers primarily in small to mid-size industrial and commercial companies; commercial real estate loans comprising commercial mortgages, which are secured by nonresidential and multi-family residential properties; residential real estate loans to consumers for the purchase or refinance of residence; first-priority home equity loans; home equity lines of credit; amortized home equity loans; consumer loans that are secured and unsecured by automobiles, boats, recreational vehicles, certificates of deposit, and other personal property; and demand deposit account overdrafts, as well as owner-occupied real estate and construction, land development, and lines of credit. In addition, the company offers mortgage banking services, including fixed and adjustable-rate mortgages, construction financing, land loans, production of conventional and government-insured mortgages, secondary marketing, and mortgage servicing. Further, it provides deposit services for commercial customers comprising treasury management, lockbox, and other cash management services; merchant credit card services; wealth management, trust, investment, and custodial services for commercial and individual customers; and corporate trust and institutional custody, financial and estate planning, and retirement plan services, as well as automated-teller-machine, interactive-teller-machine, mobile banking, interactive voice response systems, and credit and debit card services. City Holding Company was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia.
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