Head to Head Survey: First Seacoast Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSEA) & Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL)

Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) and First Seacoast Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSEA) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings and risk.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Brookline Bancorp and First Seacoast Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Brookline Bancorp	$355.54 million	2.94	$75.00 million	$0.83	14.13
First Seacoast Bancorp	$8.74 million	5.41	-$10.66 million	($1.89)	-5.32

Brookline Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Seacoast Bancorp. First Seacoast Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Brookline Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

78.9% of Brookline Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 38.4% of First Seacoast Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.6% of Brookline Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.7% of First Seacoast Bancorp shares are owned by 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.

Risk and Volatility

Brookline Bancorp has a beta of 0.78, suggesting that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Seacoast Bancorp has a beta of 0.45, suggesting that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Brookline Bancorp and First Seacoast Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Brookline Bancorp	11.40%	6.20%	0.65%
First Seacoast Bancorp	-35.93%	-13.41%	-1.49%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Brookline Bancorp and First Seacoast Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Brookline Bancorp	0	1	1	1	3.00
First Seacoast Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00

Brookline Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $14.17, indicating a potential upside of 20.77%. Given Brookline Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Brookline Bancorp is more favorable than First Seacoast Bancorp.

Summary

Brookline Bancorp beats First Seacoast Bancorp on 13 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Brookline Bancorp

Brookline Bancorp, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for the Brookline Bank that provide commercial, business, and retail banking services to corporate, municipal, and retail customers in the United States. Its deposit products include demand checking, NOW, money market, and savings accounts. The company’s loan portfolio primarily comprises first mortgage loans secured by commercial, multi-family, and residential real estate properties; loans to business entities comprising commercial lines of credit; loans to condominium associations; loans and leases used to finance equipment for small businesses; financing for construction and development projects; and home equity and other consumer loans. It provides credit, term loans, letters of credit, foreign exchange, cash management, consumer and residential loans, wealth and investment advisory, and online and mobile banking services, as well as invests in debt and equity securities. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

About First Seacoast Bancorp

First Seacoast Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for First Seacoast Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services for individuals and businesses. The company offers interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits. It also provides various lending products comprising one- to four-family residential real estate loans; commercial real estate and multi-family real estate loans; acquisition, development, and land loans; commercial and industrial loans; home equity loans and lines of credit; and consumer loans. In addition, the company offers wealth management services, such as retirement planning, portfolio management, investment and insurance strategies, business retirement plans, and college planning services. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Dover, New Hampshire. First Seacoast Bancorp, Inc. is a subsidiary of First Seacoast Bancorp, MHC.