F.N.B. (FNB) Competitors

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

Is FNB or ABCB a better dividend stock?

F.N.B. pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. F.N.B. pays out 37.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.8% 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.

Does the media refer more to FNB or ABCB?

In the previous week, F.N.B. had 27 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 34 mentions for F.N.B. and 7 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.48 beat F.N.B.'s score of 0.72 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
F.N.B.	7 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ameris Bancorp	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher earnings and valuation, FNB or ABCB?

F.N.B. has higher revenue and earnings than Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than F.N.B., 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
F.N.B.	$2.57B	2.18	$465M	$1.28	12.18
Ameris Bancorp	$1.12B	4.03	$358.68M	$5.40	12.16

Is FNB or ABCB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to F.N.B.'s net margin of 17.88%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat F.N.B.'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
F.N.B.	17.88%	7.94%	1.04%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Which has more volatility and risk, FNB or ABCB?

F.N.B. has a beta of 0.92, suggesting that its share price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, suggesting that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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

79.3% of F.N.B. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of F.N.B. shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts recommend FNB or ABCB?

F.N.B. currently has a consensus price target of $18.64, indicating a potential upside of 19.58%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $71.43, indicating a potential upside of 8.80%. Given F.N.B.'s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe F.N.B. is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
F.N.B.	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 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

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats F.N.B. on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.