First BanCorp. (FBP) Competitors

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Is ABCB or FBP a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. First BanCorp. pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First BanCorp. pays out 38.3% 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. First BanCorp. has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. First BanCorp. is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has better earnings and valuation, ABCB or FBP?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First BanCorp.. First 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
Ameris Bancorp	$1.13B	4.50	$358.68M	$5.68	13.01
First BanCorp.	$934.12M	3.72	$298.72M	$1.88	11.51

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in ABCB or FBP?

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.9% of First BanCorp. shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of First 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.

Do analysts prefer ABCB or FBP?

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $72.14, indicating a potential downside of 2.37%. First BanCorp. has a consensus price target of $24.33, indicating a potential upside of 12.42%. Given First BanCorp.'s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First BanCorp. is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
First BanCorp.	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83

Does the media refer more to ABCB or FBP?

In the previous week, First BanCorp. had 4 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for First BanCorp. and 0 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.00 equaled First BanCorp.'saverage media sentiment score.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	Neutral
First BanCorp.	Neutral

Which has more risk and volatility, ABCB or FBP?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First BanCorp. has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is ABCB or FBP more profitable?

First BanCorp. has a net margin of 24.71% compared to Ameris Bancorp's net margin of 21.46%. First BanCorp.'s return on equity of 17.54% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
First BanCorp.	24.71%	17.54%	1.61%

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats First BanCorp. on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.