OFG Bancorp (OFG) Competitors

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

Is ABCB or OFG a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. OFG Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. OFG Bancorp pays out 28.8% 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. OFG Bancorp has raised its dividend for 5 consecutive years. OFG Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Does the media favor ABCB or OFG?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 1 more articles in the media than OFG Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 3 mentions for OFG Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.47 beat OFG Bancorp's score of 0.24 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
OFG Bancorp	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has higher earnings and valuation, ABCB or OFG?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than OFG Bancorp. OFG 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	$1.12B	4.15	$358.68M	$5.40	12.54
OFG Bancorp	$873.53M	2.31	$198.17M	$4.17	10.79

Do analysts rate ABCB or OFG?

Ameris Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $71.43, suggesting a potential upside of 5.45%. OFG Bancorp has a consensus price target of $45.50, suggesting a potential upside of 1.09%. Given Ameris Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than OFG 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
OFG Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.75

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

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.7% of OFG Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of OFG Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is ABCB or OFG more profitable?

OFG Bancorp has a net margin of 22.10% compared to Ameris Bancorp's net margin of 21.46%. OFG Bancorp's return on equity of 15.23% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
OFG Bancorp	22.10%	15.23%	1.69%

Which has more volatility & risk, ABCB or OFG?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, suggesting that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, OFG Bancorp has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

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