Banner (BANR) Competitors

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and Banner (NASDAQ:BANR) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Do analysts recommend ABCB or BANR?

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $71.43, indicating a potential upside of 6.09%. Banner has a consensus price target of $70.83, indicating a potential upside of 3.77%. Given Ameris Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than Banner.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
Banner	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

Does the media refer more to ABCB or BANR?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp and Ameris Bancorp both had 4 articles in the media. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.72 beat Banner's score of 0.39 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Banner	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is ABCB or BANR a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Banner pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Banner pays out 37.7% 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.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of ABCB or BANR?

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.3% of Banner shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.6% of Banner shares are owned 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.

Which has more volatility & risk, ABCB or BANR?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, indicating that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Banner has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is ABCB or BANR more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Banner's net margin of 20.77%. Banner's return on equity of 9.95% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
Banner	20.77%	9.95%	1.10%

Which has better valuation & earnings, ABCB or BANR?

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

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ameris Bancorp	$1.12B	4.13	$358.68M	$5.40	12.47
Banner	$832.99M	2.83	$168.90M	$5.09	13.41

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Banner on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.