First BanCorp. (FBP) Competitors

East West Bancorp (NASDAQ:EWBC) and First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, community ranking, institutional ownership, profitability and earnings.

Does the media prefer EWBC or FBP?

In the previous week, East West Bancorp had 13 more articles in the media than First BanCorp.. MarketBeat recorded 24 mentions for East West Bancorp and 11 mentions for First BanCorp.. East West Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.23 beat First BanCorp.'s score of 1.19 indicating that East West Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
East West Bancorp	14 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First BanCorp.	7 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk & volatility, EWBC or FBP?

East West Bancorp has a beta of 1.09, meaning that its share price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First BanCorp. has a beta of 0.9, meaning that its share price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is EWBC or FBP a better dividend stock?

East West Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. First BanCorp. pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. East West Bancorp pays out 28.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First BanCorp. pays out 39.1% 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 higher earnings & valuation, EWBC or FBP?

East West Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First BanCorp.. East West Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First 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
East West Bancorp	$2.62B	4.59	$1.17B	$8.38	10.37
First BanCorp.	$920.41M	3.52	$298.72M	$1.84	10.79

Is EWBC or FBP more profitable?

East West Bancorp has a net margin of 25.73% compared to First BanCorp.'s net margin of 24.37%. First BanCorp.'s return on equity of 18.89% beat East West Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
East West Bancorp	25.73%	15.71%	1.58%
First BanCorp.	24.37%	18.89%	1.58%

Do analysts recommend EWBC or FBP?

East West Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $105.46, suggesting a potential upside of 21.40%. First BanCorp. has a consensus target price of $22.80, suggesting a potential upside of 14.82%. Given East West Bancorp's higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe East West Bancorp is more favorable than First BanCorp..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
East West Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.69
First BanCorp.	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80

Does the MarketBeat Community favor EWBC or FBP?

East West Bancorp received 275 more outperform votes than First BanCorp. when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 64.72% of users gave East West Bancorp an outperform vote while only 60.80% of users gave First BanCorp. an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
East West Bancorp	Outperform Votes 565 64.72%	Underperform Votes 308 35.28%
First BanCorp.	Outperform Votes 290 60.80%	Underperform Votes 187 39.20%

Do insiders & institutionals believe in EWBC or FBP?

89.5% of East West Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.9% of First BanCorp. shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of East West Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of First BanCorp. shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

East West Bancorp beats First BanCorp. on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.