Magyar Bancorp (NASDAQ:MGYR) and California BanCorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) Head-To-Head Comparison

California BanCorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) and Magyar Bancorp (NASDAQ:MGYR) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares California BanCorp and Magyar Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
California BanCorp	25.47%	10.09%	1.45%
Magyar Bancorp	19.74%	10.11%	1.19%

Volatility and Risk

California BanCorp has a beta of 0.9, suggesting that its share price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Magyar Bancorp has a beta of 0.28, suggesting that its share price is 72% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

California BanCorp pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Magyar Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. California BanCorp pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Magyar Bancorp pays out 20.1% 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. Magyar Bancorp has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares California BanCorp and Magyar Bancorp”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
California BanCorp	$181.07 million	3.87	$63.06 million	$1.79	12.17
Magyar Bancorp	$63.60 million	2.22	$12.56 million	$1.99	11.01

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

Insider and Institutional Ownership

55.4% of California BanCorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.3% of Magyar Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 8.1% of California BanCorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 11.1% of Magyar Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for California BanCorp and Magyar Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
California BanCorp	0	1	5	0	2.83
Magyar Bancorp	0	1	0	0	2.00

California BanCorp presently has a consensus target price of $24.50, suggesting a potential upside of 12.44%. Given California BanCorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe California BanCorp is more favorable than Magyar Bancorp.

Summary

California BanCorp beats Magyar Bancorp on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About California BanCorp

Southern California Bancorp operates as the holding company for Bank of Southern California, N.A. that provides various financial products to individuals, professionals, and small-to medium-sized businesses. The company offers checking, personal and business savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also provides home equity lines of credit, business loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate and construction loans, small business administration loans, letters of credit, and personal and business credit cards. In addition, the company provides cash vault, sweep accounts, and remote deposit capture services; online and mobile banking services; courier service; lockbox services; and merchant services. It operates branches in San Diego, Orange, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties, as well as the Inland Empire. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

About Magyar Bancorp

Magyar Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Magyar Bank that provides various consumer and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in New Jersey, the United States. It accepts various deposit accounts, including demand, savings, NOW, money market, and retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides residential mortgage loans, multi-family and commercial real estate mortgage loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, commercial business loans, and construction loans, as well as small business administration loans. In addition, it offers non-deposit investment products and financial planning services, including insurance products, fixed and variable annuities, and retirement planning for individual and commercial customers; and buys, sells, and holds investment securities. The company has branch offices located in New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, Branchburg, Bridgewater, and Edison, New Jersey. Magyar Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey.