Pathfinder Bancorp (PBHC) Competitors

Pathfinder Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBHC) and Bankwell Financial Group (NASDAQ:BWFG) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, media sentiment, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

Does the media refer more to PBHC or BWFG?

In the previous week, Bankwell Financial Group had 2 more articles in the media than Pathfinder Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Bankwell Financial Group and 5 mentions for Pathfinder Bancorp. Bankwell Financial Group's average media sentiment score of 0.59 beat Pathfinder Bancorp's score of 0.40 indicating that Bankwell Financial Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Pathfinder Bancorp	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Bankwell Financial Group	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts rate PBHC or BWFG?

Bankwell Financial Group has a consensus price target of $40.25, indicating a potential upside of 6.34%. Given Bankwell Financial Group's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Bankwell Financial Group is more favorable than Pathfinder Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Pathfinder Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Bankwell Financial Group	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Is PBHC or BWFG a better dividend stock?

Pathfinder Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Bankwell Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Pathfinder Bancorp pays out 59.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Bankwell Financial Group pays out 51.0% 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. Pathfinder Bancorp has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Pathfinder Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, PBHC or BWFG?

Bankwell Financial Group has higher revenue and earnings than Pathfinder Bancorp. Pathfinder Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bankwell Financial Group, 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
Pathfinder Bancorp	$87.92M	0.82	$3.38M	$0.67	22.57
Bankwell Financial Group	$195.71M	1.52	$9.77M	$1.57	24.11

Is PBHC or BWFG more profitable?

Bankwell Financial Group has a net margin of 6.33% compared to Pathfinder Bancorp's net margin of 5.23%. Bankwell Financial Group's return on equity of 4.60% beat Pathfinder Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Pathfinder Bancorp	5.23%	3.75%	0.31%
Bankwell Financial Group	6.33%	4.60%	0.39%

Which has more risk & volatility, PBHC or BWFG?

Pathfinder Bancorp has a beta of 0.15, suggesting that its stock price is 85% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bankwell Financial Group has a beta of 0.66, suggesting that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of PBHC or BWFG?

26.7% of Pathfinder Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 35.8% of Bankwell Financial Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 15.4% of Pathfinder Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.5% of Bankwell Financial Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Bankwell Financial Group beats Pathfinder Bancorp on 17 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.