Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) Competitors

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) and Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE:BHB) are both small-cap banking companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership and profitability.

Does the media favor NIC or BHB?

In the previous week, Nicolet Bankshares had 3 more articles in the media than Bar Harbor Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares and 0 mentions for Bar Harbor Bankshares. Nicolet Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 0.57 beat Bar Harbor Bankshares' score of -0.02 indicating that Nicolet Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Nicolet Bankshares	Positive
Bar Harbor Bankshares	Neutral

Is NIC or BHB more profitable?

Nicolet Bankshares has a net margin of 25.12% compared to Bar Harbor Bankshares' net margin of 0.00%. Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity of 11.48% beat Bar Harbor Bankshares' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares	25.12%	11.48%	1.52%
Bar Harbor Bankshares	N/A	N/A	N/A

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in NIC or BHB?

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 54.5% of Bar Harbor Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. 16.4% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.6% of Bar Harbor Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts rate NIC or BHB?

Nicolet Bankshares presently has a consensus price target of $145.33, suggesting a potential upside of 17.73%. Bar Harbor Bankshares has a consensus price target of $35.00, suggesting a potential upside of 23.46%. Given Bar Harbor Bankshares' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Bar Harbor Bankshares is more favorable than Nicolet Bankshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Bar Harbor Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, NIC or BHB?

Nicolet Bankshares has higher revenue and earnings than Bar Harbor Bankshares. Bar Harbor Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nicolet Bankshares, 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
Nicolet Bankshares	$520.63M	3.52	$124.06M	$8.71	14.17
Bar Harbor Bankshares	$147.73M	3.20	$43.04M	$2.58	10.99

Which has more risk and volatility, NIC or BHB?

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.73, indicating that its share price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bar Harbor Bankshares has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is NIC or BHB a better dividend stock?

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Bar Harbor Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 14.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Bar Harbor Bankshares pays out 49.6% 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. Nicolet Bankshares has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Bar Harbor Bankshares has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years. Bar Harbor Bankshares is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Nicolet Bankshares beats Bar Harbor Bankshares on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.