Catalyst Bancorp (CLST) Competitors

Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) and First Savings Financial Group (NASDAQ:FSFG) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, media sentiment, valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and earnings.

Does the media prefer CLST or FSFG?

In the previous week, Catalyst Bancorp had 1 more articles in the media than First Savings Financial Group. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for Catalyst Bancorp and 1 mentions for First Savings Financial Group. First Savings Financial Group's average media sentiment score of 0.00 beat Catalyst Bancorp's score of -0.16 indicating that First Savings Financial Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Catalyst Bancorp	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
First Savings Financial Group	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has higher earnings and valuation, CLST or FSFG?

First Savings Financial Group has higher revenue and earnings than Catalyst Bancorp. First Savings Financial Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Catalyst Bancorp, 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
Catalyst Bancorp	$10.02M	5.50	-$3.09M	$0.57	23.33
First Savings Financial Group	$134.52M	1.63	$13.59M	$3.09	10.17

Is CLST or FSFG more profitable?

First Savings Financial Group has a net margin of 14.92% compared to Catalyst Bancorp's net margin of 13.74%. First Savings Financial Group's return on equity of 10.60% beat Catalyst Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Catalyst Bancorp	13.74%	2.70%	0.79%
First Savings Financial Group	14.92%	10.60%	0.79%

Which has more risk & volatility, CLST or FSFG?

Catalyst Bancorp has a beta of 0.18, suggesting that its stock price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Savings Financial Group has a beta of 0.54, suggesting that its stock price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of CLST or FSFG?

33.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 35.2% of First Savings Financial Group shares are held by institutional investors. 8.2% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 16.1% of First Savings Financial Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts rate CLST or FSFG?

First Savings Financial Group has a consensus target price of $32.33, suggesting a potential upside of 2.84%. Given First Savings Financial Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First Savings Financial Group is more favorable than Catalyst Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Catalyst Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
First Savings Financial Group	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Summary

First Savings Financial Group beats Catalyst Bancorp on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.