Critical Analysis: Independent Bank (NASDAQ:IBCP) and California Business Bank (OTCMKTS:CABB)

Independent Bank (NASDAQ:IBCP) and California Business Bank (OTCMKTS:CABB) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Independent Bank and California Business Bank, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Independent Bank	0	4	0	0	2.00
California Business Bank	0	0	0	0	N/A

Independent Bank presently has a consensus price target of $32.17, suggesting a potential downside of 9.31%. Given Independent Bank’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Independent Bank is more favorable than California Business Bank.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Independent Bank and California Business Bank”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Independent Bank	$207.12 million	3.56	$59.07 million	$2.94	12.00
California Business Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Independent Bank has higher revenue and earnings than California Business Bank.

Profitability

This table compares Independent Bank and California Business Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Independent Bank	21.11%	16.90%	1.31%
California Business Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility & Risk

Independent Bank has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, California Business Bank has a beta of 0.05, suggesting that its share price is 95% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

79.4% of Independent Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.5% of Independent Bank shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Independent Bank beats California Business Bank on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Independent Bank

Independent Bank Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Independent Bank that provides commercial banking services to individuals and businesses in rural and suburban communities in Michigan. It offers checking and savings accounts, commercial lending, direct and indirect consumer financing, mortgage lending, and safe deposit box services. The company also provides title insurance services and investment services, as well as automatic teller machines, and internet and mobile banking services. In addition, it operates through branches, drive-thru facilities, and loan production offices. Independent Bank Corporation was founded in 1864 and is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

About California Business Bank

California Business Bank provides various financial products and services for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The company offers various personal and business deposit products; and business and commercial loans comprising SBA, commercial and industrial, and commercial real estate loans. It also provides online and mobile banking, mobile deposit, bill pay, and other services. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.