First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) versus Thomasville Bancshares (OTCMKTS:THVB) Head to Head Review

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) and Thomasville Bancshares (OTCMKTS:THVB) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, earnings and valuation.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares First Financial Bancorp. and Thomasville Bancshares’ top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Financial Bancorp.	$1.12 billion	1.90	$255.86 million	$2.48	8.96
Thomasville Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than Thomasville Bancshares.

Risk and Volatility

First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its stock price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Thomasville Bancshares has a beta of 0.17, suggesting that its stock price is 83% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for First Financial Bancorp. and Thomasville Bancshares, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Financial Bancorp.	0	2	1	0	2.33
Thomasville Bancshares	0	0	0	0	N/A

First Financial Bancorp. currently has a consensus price target of $24.67, indicating a potential upside of 11.01%. Given First Financial Bancorp.’s higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe First Financial Bancorp. is more favorable than Thomasville Bancshares.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by 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.

Profitability

This table compares First Financial Bancorp. and Thomasville Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Financial Bancorp.	20.74%	11.22%	1.43%
Thomasville Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A

Dividends

First Financial Bancorp. pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Thomasville Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $2.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. First Financial Bancorp. pays out 37.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

First Financial Bancorp. beats Thomasville Bancshares on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Financial Bancorp.

First Financial Bancorp. operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Bank that provides commercial banking and related services to individuals and businesses in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The company offers checking, savings, and money-market accounts; and accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for commercial customers. It also provides real estate loans secured by residential property, such as one to four family residential housing units or commercial property comprising owner-occupied and/or investor income producing real estate consisting of apartments, shopping centers, and office buildings; commercial and industrial loans for various purposes, including inventory, receivables, and equipment, as well as equipment and leasehold improvement financing for franchisees; consumer loans comprising new and used vehicle loans, second mortgages on residential real estate, and unsecured loans; and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company offers commercial financing to the insurance industry, registered investment advisors, certified public accountants, indirect auto finance companies, and restaurant franchisees. Further, it provides a range of trust and wealth management services; lease and equipment financing services; and currency payments, foreign exchange hedging, and other advisory products. First Financial Bancorp. was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

About Thomasville Bancshares

Thomasville Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Thomasville National Bank that provides a range of banking services to individual and corporate customers primarily in Thomas and Glynn counties, Georgia, Leon County, Florida, and the surrounding counties. The company offers checking and savings accounts; money market accounts; and certificates of deposits. It also provides commercial real estate mortgage loans, such as non-farm and non-residential commercial real estate loans, construction loans for commercial businesses, multifamily loans secured by income producing properties, and farmland; and 1-4 family residential loans, including first mortgage liens, junior liens, and home equity lines. In addition, the company offers commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; consumer loans comprising direct consumer instalment loans, overdrafts, and other revolving credit loans and educational loans; and loans to municipalities and development authorities. Further, it provides trust and money management services. The company was incorporated in 1995 and is based in Thomasville, Georgia.