Independent Bank (INDB) Competitors

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

Which has more risk and volatility, ABCB or INDB?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Independent Bank has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its stock price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is ABCB or INDB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Independent Bank's net margin of 18.93%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat Independent Bank's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
Independent Bank	18.93%	6.39%	0.98%

Does the media favor ABCB or INDB?

In the previous week, Independent Bank had 1 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Independent Bank and 3 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Independent Bank's average media sentiment score of 1.01 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 0.90 indicating that Independent Bank is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Independent Bank	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ABCB or INDB a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Independent Bank pays an annual dividend of $2.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Independent Bank pays out 53.3% 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. Independent Bank has raised its dividend for 15 consecutive years. Independent Bank is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts rate ABCB or INDB?

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $72.14, suggesting a potential downside of 2.37%. Independent Bank has a consensus price target of $71.00, suggesting a potential upside of 2.23%. Given Independent Bank's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Independent Bank 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
Independent Bank	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40

Which has better valuation & earnings, ABCB or INDB?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Independent Bank. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Independent Bank, 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
Independent Bank	$705.48M	4.91	$192.08M	$4.43	15.68

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

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.4% of Independent Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Independent Bank shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Independent Bank on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.