Civista Bancshares (NASDAQ:CIVB – Get Free Report) and BayFirst Financial (NASDAQ:BAFN – Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.
Risk and Volatility
Civista Bancshares has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BayFirst Financial has a beta of 0.53, meaning that its share price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Civista Bancshares and BayFirst Financial”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Civista Bancshares | $254.95 million | 2.24 | $46.21 million | $2.70 | 10.16 |
| BayFirst Financial | $104.19 million | 2.26 | -$22.94 million | ($14.88) | -0.59 |
Civista Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than BayFirst Financial. BayFirst Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Civista Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Civista Bancshares and BayFirst Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Civista Bancshares | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.50 |
| BayFirst Financial | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Civista Bancshares presently has a consensus price target of $30.25, suggesting a potential upside of 10.24%. Given Civista Bancshares’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Civista Bancshares is more favorable than BayFirst Financial.
Profitability
This table compares Civista Bancshares and BayFirst Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Civista Bancshares | 20.79% | 10.65% | 1.35% |
| BayFirst Financial | -80.74% | -101.15% | -4.83% |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
52.1% of Civista Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 16.9% of BayFirst Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 1.6% of Civista Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 56.6% of BayFirst Financial shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Summary
Civista Bancshares beats BayFirst Financial on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Civista Bancshares
Civista Bancshares, Inc. operates as the financial holding company for Civista Bank that provides community banking services. It collects a range of customer deposits; and offers commercial and agriculture, commercial and residential real estate, farm real estate, real estate construction, consumer, and other loans, as well as letters of credit. The company also holds and manages securities portfolio; leases general equipment; and provides captive insurance products. It operates in North Central, West Central, South Western Ohio, South Eastern Indiana, and Northern Kentucky. The company was formerly known as First Citizens Banc Corp and changed its name to Civista Bancshares, Inc. in May 2015. Civista Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio.
About BayFirst Financial
BayFirst Financial Corp. operates as the bank holding company for BayFirst National Bank that provides community banking services for businesses and individuals. The company offers checking, savings, NOW, and money market deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and individual retirement account; and safety deposit boxes. It also provides commercial real estate mortgages; construction and development, working capital, and business loans; auto, boat, and recreational vehicle loans; and residential mortgages, personal lines of credit, and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company offers mobile and online banking, treasury management, wire transfers, cash management, merchant processing, remote deposit capture, night depositor, online bill payment, courier, retail investment, ACH originations, and other services. It operates full-service banking centers in St. Petersburg, Seminole, Pinellas Park, Clearwater, Sarasota, Tampa, Belleair Bluffs, and Bradenton, Florida. The company was formerly known as First Home Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to BayFirst Financial Corp. in May 2021. BayFirst Financial Corp. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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