Middlefield Banc (MBCN) Competitors

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

Which has more risk and volatility, MBCN or OSBC?

Middlefield Banc has a beta of 0.45, indicating that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Old Second Bancorp has a beta of 0.85, indicating that its share price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in MBCN or OSBC?

31.7% of Middlefield Banc shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.8% of Old Second Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 4.1% of Middlefield Banc shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of Old Second Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is MBCN or OSBC a better dividend stock?

Middlefield Banc pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Old Second Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Middlefield Banc pays out 37.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Old Second Bancorp pays out 13.1% 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. Middlefield Banc has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years and Old Second Bancorp has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Do analysts rate MBCN or OSBC?

Middlefield Banc currently has a consensus target price of $29.00, indicating a potential downside of 4.86%. Old Second Bancorp has a consensus target price of $20.70, indicating a potential upside of 14.35%. Given Old Second Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Old Second Bancorp is more favorable than Middlefield Banc.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Middlefield Banc	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Old Second Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Does the media prefer MBCN or OSBC?

In the previous week, Old Second Bancorp had 7 more articles in the media than Middlefield Banc. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Old Second Bancorp and 2 mentions for Middlefield Banc. Middlefield Banc's average media sentiment score of 1.84 beat Old Second Bancorp's score of 1.35 indicating that Middlefield Banc is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Middlefield Banc	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Old Second Bancorp	7 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has better earnings and valuation, MBCN or OSBC?

Old Second Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Middlefield Banc. Old Second Bancorp 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
Middlefield Banc	$108.47M	2.27	$15.52M	$2.25	13.55
Old Second Bancorp	$286.77M	3.32	$85.26M	$1.83	9.89

Is MBCN or OSBC more profitable?

Old Second Bancorp has a net margin of 24.38% compared to Middlefield Banc's net margin of 16.16%. Old Second Bancorp's return on equity of 12.53% beat Middlefield Banc's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Middlefield Banc	16.16%	8.54%	0.97%
Old Second Bancorp	24.38%	12.53%	1.51%

Summary

Old Second Bancorp beats Middlefield Banc on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.