Towne Bank (TOWN) Competitors

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

Does the media favor TOWN or ABCB?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 1 more articles in the media than Towne Bank. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 2 mentions for Towne Bank. Towne Bank's average media sentiment score of 1.72 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 1.39 indicating that Towne Bank is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Towne Bank	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Ameris Bancorp	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, TOWN or ABCB?

Towne Bank has a beta of 0.8, meaning that its share price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in TOWN or ABCB?

56.0% of Towne Bank shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 8.1% of Towne Bank shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is TOWN or ABCB a better dividend stock?

Towne Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Towne Bank pays out 45.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.8% 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. Towne Bank has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Towne Bank is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts rate TOWN or ABCB?

Towne Bank currently has a consensus price target of $40.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.03%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $71.43, indicating a potential upside of 6.14%. Given Towne Bank's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Towne Bank is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Towne Bank	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Is TOWN or ABCB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Towne Bank's net margin of 17.15%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat Towne Bank's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Towne Bank	17.15%	8.27%	1.03%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Which has higher earnings & valuation, TOWN or ABCB?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Towne Bank. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Towne 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
Towne Bank	$717.45M	3.70	$161.76M	$2.36	15.00
Ameris Bancorp	$1.12B	4.13	$358.68M	$5.40	12.46

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Towne Bank on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.