Bank first (NASDAQ: BFC – Get a rating) and Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK – Get a rating) are both small cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We’ll compare the two companies based on their dividend strength, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation and earnings.
Analyst Notes
This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Bank First and Landmark Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sales Ratings | Hold odds | Buy reviews | Strong buy odds | Rating | |
| Bank first | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N / A |
| Historic Bancorp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N / A |
Dividends
Bank First pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Landmark Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Bank First pays 14.9% of its profits as a dividend. Landmark Bancorp pays 23.3% of its profits as a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings over the next few years. Bank First has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Landmark Bancorp has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years. Landmark Bancorp is clearly the better dividend-paying stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.
Profitability
This table compares the net margins, return on equity and return on assets of Bank First and Landmark Bancorp.
| Net margins | Return on equity | return on assets | |
| Bank first | 37.28% | 14.51% | 1.59% |
| Historic Bancorp | 29.01% | 13.55% | 1.42% |
Risk and Volatility
Bank First has a beta of 0.36, meaning its stock price is 64% less volatile than the S&P 500. In comparison, Landmark Bancorp has a beta of 0.42, meaning its stock price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation and benefits
This chart compares gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS), and valuation of Bank First and Landmark Bancorp.
| Gross revenue | Price/sales ratio | Net revenue | Earnings per share | Price/earnings ratio | |
| Bank first | $121.90 million | 4.47 | $45.44 million | $5.91 | 12:15 p.m. |
| Historic Bancorp | $62.09 million | 2.10 | $18.01 million | $3.60 | 7.25 |
Bank First has higher revenue and profit than Landmark Bancorp. Landmark Bancorp trades at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bank First, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and insider ownership
26.1% of Bank First shares are held by institutional investors. By comparison, 24.6% of Landmark Bancorp’s shares are held by institutional investors. 7.6% of Bank First shares are held by insiders. By comparison, 17.1% of Landmark Bancorp’s shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership indicates that large money managers, endowments, and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
Bank First beats Landmark Bancorp on 10 out of 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
Bank First Company Profile (Get a rating)
Bank First Corporation operates as a holding company for Bank First NA which provides consumer and commercial financial services to Wisconsin businesses, professionals, consumers, associations, individuals and government authorities. The company offers checking, savings, money market, cash management, retirement and health savings accounts; other term deposits; certificates of deposit; and residential mortgage products. It also provides credit cards; ATM processing; Assurance; data processing and other information technology; investment and custody; finance management; and online, telephone and mobile banking. The Company’s lending products include real estate loans, including commercial real estate loans, residential mortgages and home equity loans; commercial and industrial loans for working capital, accounts receivable, inventory financing and other business purposes; construction and development loans; residential loans for 1 to 4 families; and consumer loans for personal and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment loans and revolving lines of credit. It operates through 21 offices in Manitowoc, Outagamie, Brown, Winnebago, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Ozaukee, Monroe and Jefferson counties in Wisconsin. The company was formerly known as Bank First National Corporation and changed its name to Bank First Corporation in June 2019. Bank First Corporation was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Landmark Bancorp Company Profile (Get a rating)
Landmark Bancorp, Inc. operates as a financial holding company for Landmark National Bank which provides various financial and banking services to its local communities. It offers current, money market, non-interest bearing checking and savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also has residential real estate for one to four families, construction and land, commercial real estate, paycheck protection program, municipal and agricultural loans; and consumer and other loans, including auto, boat and home improvement loans and home equity loans, as well as insurance and mobile and online banking. In addition, the Company invests in certain investment securities and mortgage securities. It has 30 branches in 24 communities across the state of Kansas. The company was founded in 1885 and is based in Manhattan, Kansas.
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