Civista Bancshares (NASDAQ:CIVB – Get Free Report) and Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (NYSE:AVAL – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends and earnings.
Profitability
This table compares Civista Bancshares and Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Civista Bancshares | 21.82% | 10.97% | 1.41% |
| Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores | 5.08% | 6.06% | 0.60% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
52.1% of Civista Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores shares are held by institutional investors. 1.6% of Civista Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Civista Bancshares and Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Civista Bancshares | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.67 |
Civista Bancshares currently has a consensus price target of $30.25, suggesting a potential upside of 6.38%. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores has a consensus price target of $5.00, suggesting a potential upside of 16.12%. Given Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores is more favorable than Civista Bancshares.
Dividends
Civista Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores pays an annual dividend of $0.15 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Civista Bancshares pays out 25.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores pays out 37.5% 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. Civista Bancshares has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Civista Bancshares and Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Civista Bancshares | $254.95 million | 2.32 | $46.21 million | $2.79 | 10.19 |
| Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores | $18,501.18 billion | 0.00 | $344.37 million | $0.40 | 10.76 |
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores has higher revenue and earnings than Civista Bancshares. Civista Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility & Risk
Civista Bancshares has a beta of 0.65, suggesting that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores has a beta of 0.6, suggesting that its share price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Civista Bancshares beats Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Civista Bancshares
Civista Bancshares, Inc. operates as the financial holding company for Civista Bank that provides community banking services. It collects a range of customer deposits; and offers commercial and agriculture, commercial and residential real estate, farm real estate, real estate construction, consumer, and other loans, as well as letters of credit. The company also holds and manages securities portfolio; leases general equipment; and provides captive insurance products. It operates in North Central, West Central, South Western Ohio, South Eastern Indiana, and Northern Kentucky. The company was formerly known as First Citizens Banc Corp and changed its name to Civista Bancshares, Inc. in May 2015. Civista Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio.
About Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. provides a range of financial services and products to public and private sector customers in Colombia and Central America. It offers traditional deposit services and products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, and other deposits. The company also provides commercial loans comprising general purpose loans, working capital loans, leases, loans funded by development banks, corporate credit cards, and overdraft loans; consumer loans, such as payroll loans, personal loans, automobile and other vehicle loans, credit cards, overdrafts, leases, and general purpose loans; and microcredit and mortgage loans. In addition, the company offers pension and severance fund management services; investment banking, including services relating to capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and project finance transactions; mobile and online banking services; and bancassurance, insurance, trust, bonded warehousing and brokerage transactions, real estate escrow services, merchandise and document storage and deposit, customs agency, cargo management, surety bond and merchandise distribution services, and payment and collection services. Further, it is involved in equity investments in various sectors, including infrastructure, energy and gas, agribusiness, and hospitality; and treasury operations. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A.
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