Financial Survey: Bank of Marin Bancorp (NASDAQ:BMRC) versus Zions Bancorporation, N.A. (NASDAQ:ZION)

Bank of Marin Bancorp (NASDAQ:BMRC) and Zions Bancorporation, N.A. (NASDAQ:ZION) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

52.3% of Bank of Marin Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.8% of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.7% of Bank of Marin Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. shares are owned 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.

Risk & Volatility

Bank of Marin Bancorp has a beta of 0.92, meaning that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Zions Bancorporation, N.A. has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Bank of Marin Bancorp and Zions Bancorporation, N.A.”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bank of Marin Bancorp	$93.05 million	4.45	-$8.41 million	$0.62	41.54
Zions Bancorporation, N.A.	$3.31 billion	2.27	$784.00 million	$5.58	9.12

Zions Bancorporation, N.A. has higher revenue and earnings than Bank of Marin Bancorp. Zions Bancorporation, N.A. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bank of Marin Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Bank of Marin Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. Zions Bancorporation, N.A. pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Bank of Marin Bancorp pays out 161.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Zions Bancorporation, N.A. pays out 32.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Zions Bancorporation, N.A. has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years.

Profitability

This table compares Bank of Marin Bancorp and Zions Bancorporation, N.A.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bank of Marin Bancorp	6.22%	5.27%	0.62%
Zions Bancorporation, N.A.	17.22%	13.84%	0.98%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Bank of Marin Bancorp and Zions Bancorporation, N.A., as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bank of Marin Bancorp	0	2	3	1	2.83
Zions Bancorporation, N.A.	1	16	5	2	2.33

Bank of Marin Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $28.40, suggesting a potential upside of 10.27%. Zions Bancorporation, N.A. has a consensus target price of $61.29, suggesting a potential upside of 20.48%. Given Zions Bancorporation, N.A.’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Zions Bancorporation, N.A. is more favorable than Bank of Marin Bancorp.

Summary

Zions Bancorporation, N.A. beats Bank of Marin Bancorp on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bank of Marin Bancorp

Bank of Marin Bancorp operates as the holding company for Bank of Marin that provides a range of financial services primarily to small to medium-sized businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and commercial real estate investors in the United States. The company offers personal and business checking and savings accounts; and individual retirement, health savings, and demand deposit marketplace accounts, as well as time certificates of deposit, certificate of deposit account registry, and insured cash sweep services. It also provides commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, and consumer loans, as well as construction financing and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company offers merchant and payroll services; commercial equipment leasing program; payment solutions; treasury management services; credit cards; and mobile deposit, remote deposit capture, automated clearing house, wire transfer, and image lockbox services. Further, it provides wealth management and trust services comprising customized investment portfolio management, financial planning, trust administration, estate settlement, and custody services, as well as 401(k) plan services; and automated teller machines, and telephone and digital banking services. The company was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in Novato, California.

About Zions Bancorporation, N.A.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association provides various banking products and related services primarily in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It operates through Zions Bank, California Bank & Trust, Amegy Bank, National Bank of Arizona, Nevada State Bank, Vectra Bank Colorado, and The Commerce Bank of Washington segments. The company offers commercial and small business banking services to small- and medium-sized businesses, such as commercial, industrial, and owner-occupied lending and leasing; municipal and public finance services; depository account and cash management services; commercial and small business cards; merchant processing services; corporate trust services; and correspondent banking and international lending services. It also provides capital markets and investment banking services, including loan syndications, foreign exchange services, interest rate derivatives, fixed income securities underwriting, advisory and capital raising, commercial mortgage-backed security conduit lending, and power and project financing; and commercial real estate lending services consisting of term and construction/land development financing for commercial and residential purposes. In addition, the company offers retail banking services comprising residential mortgages, home equity lines of credit, personal lines of credit, installment consumer loans, depository account services, consumer cards, and personal trust services; and wealth management services consisting of investment management, fiduciary and estate, and advanced business succession and estate planning services. The company was formerly known as ZB, National Association and changed its name to Zions Bancorporation, National Association in September 2018. Zions Bancorporation, National Association was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.