Berkshire Hills Bancorp (BHLB) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer BHLB or ABCB?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 7 more articles in the media than Berkshire Hills Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 7 mentions for Berkshire Hills Bancorp. Berkshire Hills Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.64 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 1.59 indicating that Berkshire Hills Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Berkshire Hills Bancorp	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
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

Is BHLB or ABCB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Berkshire Hills Bancorp's net margin of 15.93%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat Berkshire Hills Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Berkshire Hills Bancorp	15.93%	9.45%	0.92%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, BHLB or ABCB?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Berkshire Hills Bancorp. Berkshire Hills Bancorp 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
Berkshire Hills Bancorp	$696.05M	1.78	$61M	$2.56	10.41
Ameris Bancorp	$1.13B	4.39	$358.68M	$5.68	12.69

Is BHLB or ABCB a better dividend stock?

Berkshire Hills Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Berkshire Hills Bancorp pays out 28.1% 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.

Which has more volatility and risk, BHLB or ABCB?

Berkshire Hills Bancorp has a beta of 0.66, meaning that its share price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate BHLB or ABCB?

Berkshire Hills Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $32.75, indicating a potential upside of 22.84%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $72.14, indicating a potential upside of 0.09%. Given Berkshire Hills Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Berkshire Hills Bancorp is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Berkshire Hills Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

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

83.1% of Berkshire Hills Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Berkshire Hills Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Berkshire Hills Bancorp on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.