Comparing Banc of California (NYSE:BANC) & SouthCrest Financial Group (OTCMKTS:SCSG)

Banc of California (NYSE:BANC) and SouthCrest Financial Group (OTCMKTS:SCSG) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Banc of California and SouthCrest Financial Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Banc of California	-20.75%	2.93%	0.24%
SouthCrest Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Banc of California and SouthCrest Financial Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Banc of California	$472.31 million	5.75	-$1.90 billion	($4.27)	-4.00
SouthCrest Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

SouthCrest Financial Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Banc of California.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

86.9% of Banc of California shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.8% of Banc of California shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Banc of California and SouthCrest Financial Group, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Banc of California	0	4	6	0	2.60
SouthCrest Financial Group	0	0	0	0	0.00

Banc of California presently has a consensus price target of $17.60, suggesting a potential upside of 2.98%. Given Banc of California’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Banc of California is more favorable than SouthCrest Financial Group.

Summary

Banc of California beats SouthCrest Financial Group on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Banc of California

Banc of California, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Banc of California that provides various banking products and services in California. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market, demand, and time deposits; certificates of deposit; retirement accounts; and safe deposit boxes. It also provides real estate loans to professional developers and real estate investors for the acquisition, construction, refinancing, renovation, and on-going operation of commercial real estate properties; commercial real estate mortgage, residential real estate mortgage, and real estate construction and land loans; commercial loans and leases, such as equipment finance, other asset-based, venture capital, secured business, warehouse, and other lending services; small business administration loans; and consumer loans comprising personal, auto, and other loans, as well as home equity and revolving lines of credit. In addition, the company offers international banking, multi-state deposit, and asset and investment management services, as well as cash and treasury management services; and online, mobile, remote deposit, and telephone banking services. It serves small and middle-market businesses, venture capital firms, non-profit organizations, business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, and high-net worth individuals. Banc of California, Inc. was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

About SouthCrest Financial Group

SouthCrest Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for SouthCrest Bank, N.A. that provides various banking products and services. It offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; and certificates of deposit. The company also provides personal loans for cars, boats, recreational vehicles, and other purchases; home equity lines of credit; loans on investment properties; owner occupied real estate, acquisition construction and development, professional practice acquisition, equipment and inventory, construction to permanent, and investment real estate loans; and working capital and lines of credit. In addition, it offers credit cards; remote deposit capture, positive pay, ACH, online wires, merchant, and reorder checks services; and online banking, online bill pay, mobile banking and deposit, and telephone banking services. The company serves retail, private, entrepreneurial, high-net-worth, and commercial customers. It operates through 9 branches in Georgia. SouthCrest Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.