Hanover Bancorp (HNVR) Competitors

Hanover Bancorp (NASDAQ:HNVR) and Independent Bank (NASDAQ:IBCP) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and media sentiment.

Does the media refer more to HNVR or IBCP?

In the previous week, Independent Bank had 1 more articles in the media than Hanover Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for Independent Bank and 1 mentions for Hanover Bancorp. Hanover Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.02 beat Independent Bank's score of 0.99 indicating that Hanover Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Hanover Bancorp	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Independent Bank	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, HNVR or IBCP?

Independent Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Hanover Bancorp. Independent Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hanover 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
Hanover Bancorp	$148.36M	1.07	$12.35M	$1.53	14.39
Independent Bank	$323.14M	1.98	$66.79M	$3.07	10.06

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in HNVR or IBCP?

15.0% of Hanover Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.4% of Independent Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 24.8% of Hanover Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.7% of Independent Bank shares are owned by company 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.

Is HNVR or IBCP more profitable?

Independent Bank has a net margin of 20.31% compared to Hanover Bancorp's net margin of 7.73%. Independent Bank's return on equity of 14.05% beat Hanover Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hanover Bancorp	7.73%	7.40%	0.61%
Independent Bank	20.31%	14.05%	1.21%

Which has more volatility and risk, HNVR or IBCP?

Hanover Bancorp has a beta of 0.07, meaning that its stock price is 93% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Independent Bank has a beta of 0.79, meaning that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate HNVR or IBCP?

Hanover Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $23.83, indicating a potential upside of 8.23%. Independent Bank has a consensus price target of $36.00, indicating a potential upside of 16.62%. Given Independent Bank's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Independent Bank is more favorable than Hanover Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hanover Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20
Independent Bank	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Is HNVR or IBCP a better dividend stock?

Hanover Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Independent Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Hanover Bancorp pays out 26.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Independent Bank pays out 33.9% 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. Independent Bank has raised its dividend for 11 consecutive years. Independent Bank is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Independent Bank beats Hanover Bancorp on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.