First Bancorp (FBNC) Competitors

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

Which has more risk & volatility, ABCB or FBNC?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Bancorp has a beta of 1.01, meaning that its share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is ABCB or FBNC a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. First Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Bancorp pays out 39.3% 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 preferable earnings and valuation, ABCB or FBNC?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First 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
Ameris Bancorp	$1.13B	4.50	$358.68M	$5.68	13.01
First Bancorp	$537.14M	4.04	$76.21M	$2.34	22.35

Does the media refer more to ABCB or FBNC?

In the previous week, First Bancorp had 2 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for First Bancorp and 4 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.90 beat First Bancorp's score of 0.32 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	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Bancorp	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

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

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.4% of First Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of First Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is ABCB or FBNC more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to First Bancorp's net margin of 17.65%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat First Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
First Bancorp	17.65%	8.96%	1.09%

Do analysts rate ABCB or FBNC?

Ameris Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $72.14, suggesting a potential downside of 2.37%. First Bancorp has a consensus price target of $56.67, suggesting a potential upside of 8.33%. Given First Bancorp's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Bancorp is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

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
First Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats First Bancorp on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.