Associated Banc (ASB) Competitors

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) and Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATY) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in ASB or CATY?

83.0% of Associated Banc shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Associated Banc shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.9% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media prefer ASB or CATY?

In the previous week, Cathay General Bancorp had 1 more articles in the media than Associated Banc. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Cathay General Bancorp and 5 mentions for Associated Banc. Associated Banc's average media sentiment score of 0.70 beat Cathay General Bancorp's score of 0.21 indicating that Associated Banc is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Associated Banc	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Cathay General Bancorp	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has more volatility and risk, ASB or CATY?

Associated Banc has a beta of 0.84, meaning that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cathay General Bancorp has a beta of 0.97, meaning that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer ASB or CATY?

Associated Banc presently has a consensus price target of $27.78, indicating a potential upside of 17.01%. Cathay General Bancorp has a consensus price target of $49.71, indicating a potential upside of 11.02%. Given Associated Banc's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Associated Banc is more favorable than Cathay General Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Associated Banc	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.22
Cathay General Bancorp	1 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.14

Is ASB or CATY more profitable?

Cathay General Bancorp has a net margin of 21.44% compared to Associated Banc's net margin of 5.79%. Cathay General Bancorp's return on equity of 10.39% beat Associated Banc's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Associated Banc	5.79%	8.86%	0.91%
Cathay General Bancorp	21.44%	10.39%	1.27%

Is ASB or CATY a better dividend stock?

Associated Banc pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. Cathay General Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Associated Banc pays out 119.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Cathay General Bancorp pays out 32.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Associated Banc has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Associated Banc is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, ASB or CATY?

Cathay General Bancorp has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Associated Banc. Cathay General Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Associated Banc, 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
Associated Banc	$2.39B	1.65	$123.14M	$0.77	30.83
Cathay General Bancorp	$1.39B	2.26	$285.98M	$4.14	10.82

Summary

Cathay General Bancorp beats Associated Banc on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.