First National (FXNC) Competitors

First National (NASDAQ:FXNC) and MetroCity Bankshares (NASDAQ:MCBS) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, community ranking, risk and valuation.

Does the media prefer FXNC or MCBS?

In the previous week, First National had 3 more articles in the media than MetroCity Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for First National and 2 mentions for MetroCity Bankshares. MetroCity Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.87 beat First National's score of 1.11 indicating that MetroCity Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First National	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
MetroCity Bankshares	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Is FXNC or MCBS a better dividend stock?

First National pays an annual dividend of $0.62 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. MetroCity Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. First National pays out 74.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MetroCity Bankshares pays out 35.8% 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. First National has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years. MetroCity Bankshares is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Does the MarketBeat Community believe in FXNC or MCBS?

MetroCity Bankshares received 15 more outperform votes than First National when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 42.86% of users gave MetroCity Bankshares an outperform vote while only 37.50% of users gave First National an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
First National	Outperform Votes 3 37.50%	Underperform Votes 5 62.50%
MetroCity Bankshares	Outperform Votes 18 42.86%	Underperform Votes 24 57.14%

Which has more volatility and risk, FXNC or MCBS?

First National has a beta of 0.51, indicating that its share price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MetroCity Bankshares has a beta of 0.63, indicating that its share price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better valuation & earnings, FXNC or MCBS?

MetroCity Bankshares has higher revenue and earnings than First National. MetroCity Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First National, 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
First National	$70.49M	2.49	$6.97M	$0.83	23.55
MetroCity Bankshares	$143.02M	4.97	$64.50M	$2.57	10.89

Do analysts prefer FXNC or MCBS?

First National currently has a consensus target price of $24.75, suggesting a potential upside of 26.60%. MetroCity Bankshares has a consensus target price of $34.00, suggesting a potential upside of 21.43%. Given First National's higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe First National is more favorable than MetroCity Bankshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First National	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
MetroCity Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Is FXNC or MCBS more profitable?

MetroCity Bankshares has a net margin of 27.33% compared to First National's net margin of 7.51%. MetroCity Bankshares' return on equity of 15.98% beat First National's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First National	7.51%	12.09%	1.01%
MetroCity Bankshares	27.33%	15.98%	1.79%

Do insiders and institutionals believe in FXNC or MCBS?

33.9% of First National shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 25.3% of MetroCity Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. 14.3% of First National shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 27.5% of MetroCity Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

MetroCity Bankshares beats First National on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.