Bank OZK (OZK) Competitors

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

Is ABCB or OZK a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Bank OZK pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Bank OZK pays out 28.9% 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. Bank OZK has raised its dividend for 29 consecutive years. Bank OZK is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Does the media prefer ABCB or OZK?

In the previous week, Bank OZK had 10 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Bank OZK and 12 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Bank OZK's score of 0.76 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	9 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Bank OZK	10 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher earnings and valuation, ABCB or OZK?

Bank OZK has higher revenue and earnings than Ameris Bancorp. Bank OZK is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris 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
Ameris Bancorp	$1.12B	4.13	$358.68M	$5.40	12.47
Bank OZK	$2.77B	2.13	$716.46M	$6.10	8.52

Is ABCB or OZK more profitable?

Bank OZK has a net margin of 25.83% compared to Ameris Bancorp's net margin of 21.46%. Bank OZK's return on equity of 13.37% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
Bank OZK	25.83%	13.37%	1.88%

Which has more risk and volatility, ABCB or OZK?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bank OZK has a beta of 0.85, meaning that its stock price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in ABCB or OZK?

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.2% of Bank OZK shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.7% of Bank OZK shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Do analysts recommend ABCB or OZK?

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $71.43, suggesting a potential upside of 6.07%. Bank OZK has a consensus price target of $52.75, suggesting a potential upside of 1.52%. Given Ameris Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than Bank OZK.

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
Bank OZK	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Summary

Bank OZK beats Ameris Bancorp on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.