BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) (BCBP) Competitors

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) (NASDAQ:BCBP) and Alerus Financial (NASDAQ:ALRS) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, media sentiment, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Which has more volatility and risk, BCBP or ALRS?

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) has a beta of 0.71, meaning that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alerus Financial has a beta of 0.7, meaning that its share price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is BCBP or ALRS more profitable?

Alerus Financial has a net margin of 7.81% compared to BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)'s net margin of 2.31%. Alerus Financial's return on equity of 8.32% beat BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)	2.31%	1.50%	0.12%
Alerus Financial	7.81%	8.32%	0.77%

Does the media favor BCBP or ALRS?

In the previous week, BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) and BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) both had 6 articles in the media. BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)'s average media sentiment score of 0.01 beat Alerus Financial's score of -0.11 indicating that BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Alerus Financial	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do institutionals and insiders believe in BCBP or ALRS?

36.0% of BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 51.3% of Alerus Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 15.9% of BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.2% of Alerus Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is BCBP or ALRS a better dividend stock?

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) pays an annual dividend of $0.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.9%. Alerus Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) pays out 426.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Alerus Financial pays out 68.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Alerus Financial has raised its dividend for 25 consecutive years.

Which has higher valuation & earnings, BCBP or ALRS?

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Alerus Financial. Alerus Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ), 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
BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)	$196.95M	0.81	$18.62M	$0.15	61.67
Alerus Financial	$336.51M	1.72	$17.78M	$1.22	18.72

Do analysts rate BCBP or ALRS?

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) presently has a consensus target price of $11.75, suggesting a potential upside of 27.03%. Alerus Financial has a consensus target price of $23.00, suggesting a potential upside of 0.70%. Given BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)'s higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) is more favorable than Alerus Financial.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Alerus Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Summary

Alerus Financial beats BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.