Simmons First National (SFNC) Competitors

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

Does the media refer more to SFNC or ABCB?

In the previous week, Simmons First National and Simmons First National both had 3 articles in the media. Simmons First National's average media sentiment score of 1.17 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 0.90 indicating that Simmons First National is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Simmons First National	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ameris Bancorp	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is SFNC or ABCB a better dividend stock?

Simmons First National pays an annual dividend of $0.85 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Simmons First National pays out 66.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% 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. Simmons First National has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Simmons First National is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Is SFNC or ABCB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Simmons First National's net margin of 11.19%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat Simmons First National's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Simmons First National	11.19%	5.23%	0.69%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Do analysts prefer SFNC or ABCB?

Simmons First National currently has a consensus price target of $22.75, indicating a potential upside of 16.75%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $72.14, indicating a potential downside of 4.70%. Given Simmons First National's higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Simmons First National is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Simmons First National	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of SFNC or ABCB?

27.6% of Simmons First National shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of Simmons First National shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, SFNC or ABCB?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Simmons First National. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Simmons First National, 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
Simmons First National	$794.53M	3.55	$152.69M	$1.27	15.34
Ameris Bancorp	$1.13B	4.61	$358.68M	$5.68	13.33

Which has more risk and volatility, SFNC or ABCB?

Simmons First National has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Simmons First National on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.