Timberland Bancorp (TSBK) Competitors

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) and Timberland Bancorp (NASDAQ:TSBK) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, media sentiment, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in BSRR or TSBK?

55.4% of Sierra Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.5% of Timberland Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.9% of Sierra Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of Timberland Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor BSRR or TSBK?

In the previous week, Sierra Bancorp had 9 more articles in the media than Timberland Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for Sierra Bancorp and 3 mentions for Timberland Bancorp. Sierra Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.61 beat Timberland Bancorp's score of 0.00 indicating that Sierra Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Sierra Bancorp	5 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Timberland Bancorp	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, BSRR or TSBK?

Sierra Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Timberland Bancorp. Timberland Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sierra 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
Sierra Bancorp	$138.43M	3.21	$40.56M	$2.82	11.41
Timberland Bancorp	$73.53M	3.47	$24.28M	$3.24	9.97

Which has more risk and volatility, BSRR or TSBK?

Sierra Bancorp has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Timberland Bancorp has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is BSRR or TSBK a better dividend stock?

Sierra Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Timberland Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Sierra Bancorp pays out 35.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Timberland Bancorp pays out 32.1% 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. Sierra Bancorp has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Timberland Bancorp has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Timberland Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Is BSRR or TSBK more profitable?

Timberland Bancorp has a net margin of 23.45% compared to Sierra Bancorp's net margin of 19.92%. Sierra Bancorp's return on equity of 11.38% beat Timberland Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Sierra Bancorp	19.92%	11.38%	1.11%
Timberland Bancorp	23.45%	10.48%	1.35%

Do analysts rate BSRR or TSBK?

Sierra Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $33.50, indicating a potential upside of 4.12%. Given Sierra Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Sierra Bancorp is more favorable than Timberland Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Sierra Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Timberland Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00

Summary

Sierra Bancorp beats Timberland Bancorp on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.