First Bancorp, Inc (ME) (FNLC) Competitors

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) and First Bancorp, Inc (ME) (NASDAQ:FNLC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, dividends, earnings and media sentiment.

Does the media prefer PEBO or FNLC?

In the previous week, Peoples Bancorp had 5 more articles in the media than First Bancorp, Inc (ME). MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Peoples Bancorp and 2 mentions for First Bancorp, Inc (ME). First Bancorp, Inc (ME)'s average media sentiment score of 1.45 beat Peoples Bancorp's score of 0.97 indicating that First Bancorp, Inc (ME) is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Peoples Bancorp	Positive
First Bancorp, Inc (ME)	Positive

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, PEBO or FNLC?

Peoples Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Bancorp, Inc (ME). First Bancorp, Inc (ME) is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Peoples 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
Peoples Bancorp	$620.14M	1.71	$117.21M	$2.92	10.20
First Bancorp, Inc (ME)	$165.19M	1.79	$27.05M	$2.68	9.85

Is PEBO or FNLC more profitable?

First Bancorp, Inc (ME) has a net margin of 17.39% compared to Peoples Bancorp's net margin of 16.88%. First Bancorp, Inc (ME)'s return on equity of 11.60% beat Peoples Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Peoples Bancorp	16.88%	9.46%	1.15%
First Bancorp, Inc (ME)	17.39%	11.60%	0.95%

Is PEBO or FNLC a better dividend stock?

Peoples Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.5%. First Bancorp, Inc (ME) pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.6%. Peoples Bancorp pays out 56.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Bancorp, Inc (ME) pays out 55.2% 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. Peoples Bancorp has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years and First Bancorp, Inc (ME) has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. First Bancorp, Inc (ME) is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts recommend PEBO or FNLC?

Peoples Bancorp presently has a consensus target price of $35.25, indicating a potential upside of 18.41%. Given Peoples Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Peoples Bancorp is more favorable than First Bancorp, Inc (ME).

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Peoples Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
First Bancorp, Inc (ME)	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00

Which has more volatility and risk, PEBO or FNLC?

Peoples Bancorp has a beta of 0.67, suggesting that its share price is 33% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Bancorp, Inc (ME) has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in PEBO or FNLC?

60.7% of Peoples Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 40.4% of First Bancorp, Inc (ME) shares are held by institutional investors. 3.4% of Peoples Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.1% of First Bancorp, Inc (ME) shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Peoples Bancorp beats First Bancorp, Inc (ME) on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.