Bankwell Financial Group (BWFG) Competitors

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

Does the media favor BWFG or ABCB?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 2 more articles in the media than Bankwell Financial Group. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 1 mentions for Bankwell Financial Group. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.90 beat Bankwell Financial Group's score of 0.71 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Bankwell Financial Group	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ameris Bancorp	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in BWFG or ABCB?

35.8% of Bankwell Financial Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 19.5% of Bankwell Financial Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned 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 BWFG or ABCB a better dividend stock?

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

Which has better earnings & valuation, BWFG or ABCB?

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
Bankwell Financial Group	$92.56M	3.67	$9.77M	$2.58	16.74
Ameris Bancorp	$1.13B	4.58	$358.68M	$5.68	13.24

Which has more volatility and risk, BWFG or ABCB?

Bankwell Financial Group has a beta of 0.68, meaning that its share price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer BWFG or ABCB?

Bankwell Financial Group presently has a consensus price target of $42.00, suggesting a potential downside of 2.78%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $72.14, suggesting a potential downside of 4.06%. Given Bankwell Financial Group's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Bankwell Financial Group is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bankwell Financial Group	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Is BWFG or ABCB 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
Bankwell Financial Group	10.27%	7.44%	0.64%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Bankwell Financial Group on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.