First Bancorp (FNLC) Competitors

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

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 5.6%. First Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Peoples Bancorp pays out 52.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Bancorp pays out 57.4% 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 increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years and First Bancorp has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

Does the media refer more to PEBO or FNLC?

In the previous week, Peoples Bancorp had 3 more articles in the media than First Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Peoples Bancorp and 1 mentions for First Bancorp. First Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.87 beat Peoples Bancorp's score of 0.94 indicating that First Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Peoples Bancorp	Positive
First Bancorp	Very Positive

Which has more risk & volatility, PEBO or FNLC?

Peoples Bancorp has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Bancorp has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the MarketBeat Community believe in PEBO or FNLC?

Peoples Bancorp received 84 more outperform votes than First Bancorp when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 62.30% of users gave First Bancorp an outperform vote while only 55.92% of users gave Peoples Bancorp an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Peoples Bancorp	Outperform Votes 274 55.92%	Underperform Votes 216 44.08%
First Bancorp	Outperform Votes 190 62.30%	Underperform Votes 115 37.70%

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of PEBO or FNLC?

60.7% of Peoples Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 40.4% of First Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 3.4% of Peoples Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.1% of First Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Which has higher valuation & earnings, PEBO or FNLC?

Peoples Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Bancorp. Peoples 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
Peoples Bancorp	$443.50M	2.34	$117.21M	$3.15	9.26
First Bancorp	$83.53M	3.19	$27.05M	$2.51	9.48

Is PEBO or FNLC more profitable?

Peoples Bancorp has a net margin of 18.90% compared to First Bancorp's net margin of 16.37%. Peoples Bancorp's return on equity of 11.07% beat First Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Peoples Bancorp	18.90%	11.07%	1.31%
First Bancorp	16.37%	10.90%	0.88%

Do analysts rate PEBO or FNLC?

Peoples Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $36.00, suggesting a potential upside of 23.41%. Given Peoples Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Peoples Bancorp is more favorable than First Bancorp.

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	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00

Summary

Peoples Bancorp beats First Bancorp on 15 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.