CVB Financial (NASDAQ:CVBF – Get Free Report) and Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB – Get Free Report) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, valuation and earnings.
Risk & Volatility
CVB Financial has a beta of 0.44, suggesting that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 1.01, suggesting that its share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares CVB Financial and Ameris Bancorp”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| CVB Financial | $665.66 million | 4.91 | $221.43 million | $1.43 | 16.38 |
| Ameris Bancorp | $1.52 billion | 3.19 | $269.11 million | $4.80 | 14.64 |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
74.2% of CVB Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 6.0% of CVB Financial shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.5% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Dividends
CVB Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. CVB Financial pays out 55.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameris Bancorp pays out 12.5% 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.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for CVB Financial and Ameris Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| CVB Financial | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2.33 |
| Ameris Bancorp | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2.83 |
CVB Financial presently has a consensus target price of $20.80, suggesting a potential downside of 11.19%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus target price of $66.67, suggesting a potential downside of 5.14%. Given Ameris Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than CVB Financial.
Profitability
This table compares CVB Financial and Ameris Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| CVB Financial | 28.29% | 9.80% | 1.30% |
| Ameris Bancorp | 20.08% | 9.18% | 1.25% |
Summary
Ameris Bancorp beats CVB Financial on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.
About CVB Financial
CVB Financial Corp. operates as a bank holding company for Citizens Business Bank, a state-chartered bank that provides banking and financial services to small to mid-sized businesses and individuals. It offers checking, savings, money market, and time certificates of deposit products for business and personal accounts; and serves as a federal tax depository for business customers. The company also provides commercial lending products comprising lines of credit and other working capital financing, accounts receivable lending, and letters of credit; agriculture loans to finance the operating needs of wholesale dairy farm operations, cattle feeders, livestock raisers, and farmers; lease financing services for municipal governments; commercial real estate and construction loans; and consumer financing products, including automobile leasing and financing, lines of credit, credit cards, home mortgages, and home equity loans and lines of credit. In addition, it offers various specialized services, such as treasury management systems for monitoring cash flow, merchant card processing program, armored pick-up and delivery, payroll services, remote deposit capture, electronic funds transfers, wires and automated clearinghouse, and online account access. Further, the company provides trust services, such as fiduciary services, mutual funds, annuities, 401(k) plans, and individual investment accounts. CVB Financial Corp. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Ontario, California.
About Ameris Bancorp
Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through five segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, SBA Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, regular interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts. It also provides commercial real estate, residential real estate mortgage, agricultural, and commercial and industrial loans; consumer loans, including motor vehicle, home improvement, and home equity loans, as well as loans secured by savings accounts and personal credit lines. In addition, the company originates, administers, and services commercial insurance premium loans, equipment finance loans, and small business administration loans. It operates full service domestic banking offices, and mortgage and loan production offices. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
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