Bankwell Financial Group (BWFG) Competitors

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, media sentiment, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and risk.

Does the media refer more to ABCB or BWFG?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 9 more articles in the media than Bankwell Financial Group. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 3 mentions for Bankwell Financial Group. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.58 beat Bankwell Financial Group's score of 0.81 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	11 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Bankwell Financial Group	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts recommend ABCB or BWFG?

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $72.14, indicating a potential upside of 0.37%. Bankwell Financial Group has a consensus price target of $42.00, indicating a potential upside of 0.24%. Given Ameris Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than Bankwell Financial Group.

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
Bankwell Financial Group	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Is ABCB or BWFG a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Bankwell Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Bankwell Financial Group pays out 31.0% 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.

Is ABCB or BWFG more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Bankwell Financial Group's net margin of 10.27%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat Bankwell Financial Group's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
Bankwell Financial Group	10.27%	7.44%	0.64%

Which has more risk & volatility, ABCB or BWFG?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.96, suggesting that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bankwell Financial Group has a beta of 0.71, suggesting that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, ABCB or BWFG?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Bankwell Financial Group. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bankwell Financial Group, 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	$1.13B	4.38	$358.68M	$5.68	12.65
Bankwell Financial Group	$195.71M	1.68	$9.77M	$2.58	16.24

Do institutionals & insiders believe in ABCB or BWFG?

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 35.8% of Bankwell Financial Group shares are held by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 19.5% of Bankwell Financial Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Bankwell Financial Group on 15 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.