Meridian Bank (MRBK) Competitors

Yirendai (NYSE:YRD) and Meridian Bank (NASDAQ:MRBK) are both small-cap banking companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, media sentiment, analyst recommendations and risk.

Does the media prefer YRD or MRBK?

In the previous week, Meridian Bank had 9 more articles in the media than Yirendai. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Meridian Bank and 1 mentions for Yirendai. Meridian Bank's average media sentiment score of 1.10 beat Yirendai's score of 0.00 indicating that Meridian Bank is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Yirendai	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Meridian Bank	2 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of YRD or MRBK?

2.0% of Yirendai shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 58.6% of Meridian Bank shares are held by institutional investors. 42.2% of Yirendai shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 14.4% of Meridian Bank shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more volatility and risk, YRD or MRBK?

Yirendai has a beta of 0.72, indicating that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Meridian Bank has a beta of 0.67, indicating that its stock price is 33% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better valuation & earnings, YRD or MRBK?

Yirendai has higher revenue and earnings than Meridian Bank. Yirendai is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Meridian 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
Yirendai	$795.41M	0.66	$216.77M	$2.14	2.86
Meridian Bank	$197.37M	0.80	$16.35M	$1.42	9.85

Is YRD or MRBK a better dividend stock?

Yirendai pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.5%. Meridian Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Yirendai pays out 18.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Meridian Bank pays out 35.2% 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. Yirendai is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts prefer YRD or MRBK?

Meridian Bank has a consensus price target of $17.00, indicating a potential upside of 21.60%. Given Meridian Bank's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Meridian Bank is more favorable than Yirendai.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Yirendai	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Meridian Bank	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Is YRD or MRBK more profitable?

Yirendai has a net margin of 22.48% compared to Meridian Bank's net margin of 8.09%. Yirendai's return on equity of 14.33% beat Meridian Bank's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Yirendai	22.48%	14.33%	10.65%
Meridian Bank	8.09%	9.52%	0.67%

Summary

Yirendai beats Meridian Bank on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.