Middlefield Banc (MBCN) Competitors

First Mid Bancshares (NASDAQ:FMBH) and Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, valuation and risk.

Do analysts rate FMBH or MBCN?

First Mid Bancshares currently has a consensus target price of $43.33, suggesting a potential upside of 15.34%. Middlefield Banc has a consensus target price of $29.00, suggesting a potential upside of 1.61%. Given First Mid Bancshares' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe First Mid Bancshares is more favorable than Middlefield Banc.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Mid Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Middlefield Banc	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Which has more volatility & risk, FMBH or MBCN?

First Mid Bancshares has a beta of 0.91, meaning that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Middlefield Banc has a beta of 0.47, meaning that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is FMBH or MBCN more profitable?

First Mid Bancshares has a net margin of 18.32% compared to Middlefield Banc's net margin of 16.16%. First Mid Bancshares' return on equity of 10.09% beat Middlefield Banc's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Mid Bancshares	18.32%	10.09%	1.15%
Middlefield Banc	16.16%	8.54%	0.97%

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of FMBH or MBCN?

47.6% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 31.7% of Middlefield Banc shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.7% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.1% of Middlefield Banc shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media refer more to FMBH or MBCN?

In the previous week, Middlefield Banc had 3 more articles in the media than First Mid Bancshares. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Middlefield Banc and 3 mentions for First Mid Bancshares. First Mid Bancshares' average media sentiment score of 1.31 beat Middlefield Banc's score of 0.78 indicating that First Mid Bancshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Mid Bancshares	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Middlefield Banc	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is FMBH or MBCN a better dividend stock?

First Mid Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Middlefield Banc pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. First Mid Bancshares pays out 28.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Middlefield Banc pays out 37.3% 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. First Mid Bancshares has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Middlefield Banc has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, FMBH or MBCN?

First Mid Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than Middlefield Banc. First Mid Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Middlefield Banc, 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 Mid Bancshares	$330.72M	2.73	$78.90M	$3.52	10.67
Middlefield Banc	$72.84M	3.17	$15.52M	$2.25	12.68

Summary

First Mid Bancshares beats Middlefield Banc on 15 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.