Bank of Hawaii (BOH) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer BOH or ABCB?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 5 more articles in the media than Bank of Hawaii. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 5 mentions for Bank of Hawaii. Bank of Hawaii's average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 1.39 indicating that Bank of Hawaii is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Bank of Hawaii	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Ameris Bancorp	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is BOH or ABCB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Bank of Hawaii's net margin of 16.30%. Bank of Hawaii's return on equity of 12.67% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bank of Hawaii	16.30%	12.67%	0.72%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Which has higher valuation & earnings, BOH or ABCB?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Bank of Hawaii. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bank of Hawaii, 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
Bank of Hawaii	$1.04B	2.55	$149.99M	$3.81	17.46
Ameris Bancorp	$1.13B	4.51	$358.68M	$5.68	13.03

Is BOH or ABCB a better dividend stock?

Bank of Hawaii pays an annual dividend of $2.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Bank of Hawaii pays out 73.5% 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. Bank of Hawaii has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Bank of Hawaii is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts prefer BOH or ABCB?

Bank of Hawaii currently has a consensus price target of $75.00, suggesting a potential upside of 12.75%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $72.14, suggesting a potential downside of 2.54%. Given Bank of Hawaii's higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Bank of Hawaii is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bank of Hawaii	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Which has more risk & volatility, BOH or ABCB?

Bank of Hawaii has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in BOH or ABCB?

82.2% of Bank of Hawaii shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of Bank of Hawaii 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 endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Bank of Hawaii on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.