Trustmark (TRMK) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer ABCB or TRMK?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 4 more articles in the media than Trustmark. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 10 mentions for Trustmark. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.59 beat Trustmark's score of 1.11 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	13 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Trustmark	7 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ABCB or TRMK a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Trustmark pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Trustmark pays out 27.0% 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. Trustmark has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Trustmark is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, ABCB or TRMK?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Trustmark. Trustmark 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	$1.13B	4.39	$358.68M	$5.68	12.69
Trustmark	$673.01M	3.62	$223.01M	$3.56	11.33

Which has more risk and volatility, ABCB or TRMK?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Trustmark has a beta of 0.7, indicating that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is ABCB or TRMK more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Trustmark's net margin of 19.21%. Trustmark's return on equity of 10.81% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
Trustmark	19.21%	10.81%	1.18%

Do analysts recommend ABCB or TRMK?

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus target price of $72.14, suggesting a potential upside of 0.09%. Trustmark has a consensus target price of $41.00, suggesting a potential upside of 1.61%. Given Trustmark's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Trustmark is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

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
Trustmark	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40

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

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.6% of Trustmark shares are held by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Trustmark shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Trustmark on 15 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.