NBT Bancorp (NASDAQ:NBTB – Get Free Report) and Credit Agricole (OTCMKTS:CRARY – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, risk and earnings.
Profitability
This table compares NBT Bancorp and Credit Agricole’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| NBT Bancorp | 22.58% | 11.27% | 1.33% |
| Credit Agricole | 23.39% | 31.64% | 1.14% |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
58.5% of NBT Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.6% of Credit Agricole shares are held by institutional investors. 3.0% of NBT Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares NBT Bancorp and Credit Agricole”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| NBT Bancorp | $906.48 million | 2.91 | $169.24 million | $4.09 | 12.43 |
| Credit Agricole | $31.76 billion | 1.67 | $8.00 billion | $1.12 | 7.75 |
Credit Agricole has higher revenue and earnings than NBT Bancorp. Credit Agricole is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NBT Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk & Volatility
NBT Bancorp has a beta of 0.49, indicating that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Credit Agricole has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Dividends
NBT Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Credit Agricole pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.9%. NBT Bancorp pays out 39.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Credit Agricole pays out 53.6% 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. NBT Bancorp has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for NBT Bancorp and Credit Agricole, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| NBT Bancorp | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2.38 |
| Credit Agricole | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2.20 |
NBT Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $54.10, indicating a potential upside of 6.39%. Given NBT Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe NBT Bancorp is more favorable than Credit Agricole.
Summary
NBT Bancorp beats Credit Agricole on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
About NBT Bancorp
NBT Bancorp Inc., a financial holding company, provides commercial banking, retail banking, and wealth management services. Its deposit products include demand deposit, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises indirect and direct consumer, home equity, mortgages, business banking loans, and commercial loans; commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, agricultural, and commercial construction loans; and residential real estate loans. It also provides trust and investment services; financial planning and life insurance services; and retirement plan administration and recordkeeping services. In addition, the company offers insurance products comprising personal property and casualty, business liability, and commercial insurance, as well as other products and services through 24-hour online, mobile, and telephone channels that enable customers to check balances, make deposits, transfer funds, pay bills, access statements, apply for loans, and access various other products and services. Further, it operates as a property management and passive investment company, as well as investment advisor that provides investment management and financial consulting services. The company operates in upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, Vermont, southern Maine, and central and northwestern Connecticut. NBT Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Norwich, New York.
About Credit Agricole
Crédit Agricole S.A. provides retail, corporate, insurance, and investment banking products and services in France and internationally. It operates through French Retail Banking Regional Banks; French Retail Banking – LCL; International Retail Banking; Asset Gathering; Large Customers; and Specialised Financial Services segments. The company offers banking products and services, finance, savings, wealth management, payment, and cash flow management services; consumer finance products; savings/retirement, death and disability/creditor/group, and property and casualty insurance products; investment solutions; and banking and specialized financial services. It also provides investment banking, structured finance, international trade finance, commercial banking, capital market, and syndication services; financing solutions for property and equipment investment and renewal requirements; trade receivable financing and management solutions for corporates; asset servicing solutions for investment products, as well as various asset classes, such as execution, clearing, forex, security lending and borrowing, custody, depositary bank, fund administration, middle-office outsourcing solutions, and fund distribution support and issuer services; and online banking services. The company serves retail customers, corporates, banks and financial institutions, government agencies, and local authorities. Crédit Agricole S.A. was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Montrouge, France. Crédit Agricole S.A. operates as a subsidiary of SAS Rue La Boetie.
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