Alerus Financial (NASDAQ:ALRS) & Susquehanna Bancshares (NASDAQ:SUSQ) Financial Analysis

Alerus Financial (NASDAQ:ALRS) and Susquehanna Bancshares (NASDAQ:SUSQ) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, valuation, earnings and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Alerus Financial and Susquehanna Bancshares”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Alerus Financial	$170.07 million	2.98	$11.70 million	$0.16	124.94
Susquehanna Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Alerus Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Susquehanna Bancshares.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

51.3% of Alerus Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.6% of Alerus Financial 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.

Profitability

This table compares Alerus Financial and Susquehanna Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Alerus Financial	1.01%	6.02%	0.54%
Susquehanna Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Alerus Financial and Susquehanna Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alerus Financial	0	3	2	0	2.40
Susquehanna Bancshares	0	0	0	0	0.00

Alerus Financial presently has a consensus target price of $23.20, indicating a potential upside of 16.06%. Given Alerus Financial’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Alerus Financial is more favorable than Susquehanna Bancshares.

Summary

Alerus Financial beats Susquehanna Bancshares on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Alerus Financial

Alerus Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Alerus Financial, National Association that engages in the provision of various financial services to businesses and consumers. The company operates in four segments: Banking, Mortgage, Retirement and Benefit Services, and Wealth Management. It offers various deposit products, including demand deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, money market accounts, time and savings deposits, checking accounts, and certificates of deposit; and treasury management products, including electronic receivables management, remote deposit capture, cash vault services, merchant services, and other cash management services. The company also provides commercial loans, business term loans, lines of credit, and commercial real estate loans, as well as construction and land development loans; consumer lending products, including residential first mortgage loans; installment loans and lines of credit; and second mortgage loans. In addition, it offers retirement plan administration and investment advisory services, employee stock ownership plan, fiduciary services, payroll, health savings accounts, and other benefit services, as well as individual retirement accounts; and financial planning, investment management, personal and corporate trust, estate administration, and custody services. Further, the company provides debit and credit cards, online banking, mobile banking/wallet, payment, private banking, payroll accounts, flex spending accounts, administration, and government health insurance program services. It offers banking services in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Arizona; and retirement and benefit plans through offices located in Michigan, Minnesota, and Colorado. The company was formerly known as First National Bank North Dakota and changed its name to Alerus Financial Corporation in 2000. Alerus Financial Corporation was founded in 1879 and is headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

About Susquehanna Bancshares

Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company conducts its business operations primarily through its commercial bank subsidiary, Susquehanna Bank, and other subsidiaries in the mid-Atlantic region to provide a range of retail and commercial banking and financial products and services. It provides a range of retail banking services, including checking, savings and club accounts, check cards, debit cards, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, home equity lines of credit, residential mortgage loans, home improvement loans, automobile loans, personal loans, and internet and mobile banking services. It also provides a range of commercial banking services, including business checking accounts, cash management services, money market accounts, land acquisition and development loans, commercial loans, floor plan, equipment and working capital lines of credit, small business loans and internet banking services.