Banc of California (BANC) Competitors

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

Is BANC or ABCB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Banc of California's net margin of 8.30%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat Banc of California's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Banc of California	8.30%	7.37%	0.65%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Does the media refer more to BANC or ABCB?

In the previous week, Banc of California had 4 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for Banc of California and 8 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.35 beat Banc of California's score of 1.22 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Banc of California	7 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ameris Bancorp	6 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts recommend BANC or ABCB?

Banc of California presently has a consensus target price of $17.33, indicating a potential upside of 4.04%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus target price of $72.14, indicating a potential downside of 3.03%. Given Banc of California's higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Banc of California is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Banc of California	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	8 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

Which has more volatility & risk, BANC or ABCB?

Banc of California has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its stock price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.97, indicating that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher valuation & earnings, BANC or ABCB?

Ameris Bancorp has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Banc of California. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Banc of California, 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
Banc of California	$1.89B	1.30	$126.89M	$0.65	25.63
Ameris Bancorp	$1.13B	4.53	$358.68M	$5.68	13.10

Is BANC or ABCB a better dividend stock?

Banc of California pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Banc of California pays out 61.5% 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.

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in BANC or ABCB?

86.9% of Banc of California shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.7% of Banc of California 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 hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Banc of California on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.