Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) vs. Kingsway Financial Services (NYSE:KWY) Head to Head Analysis

Kingsway Financial Services (NYSE:KWY) and Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

Volatility and Risk

Kingsway Financial Services has a beta of 0.25, indicating that its stock price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior has a beta of 0.8, indicating that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Kingsway Financial Services and Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Kingsway Financial Services	$134.97 million	2.07	-$10.73 million	($0.30)	-32.13
Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior	$836.85 million	2.47	$226.88 million	$6.06	9.18

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior has higher revenue and earnings than Kingsway Financial Services. Kingsway Financial Services is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Kingsway Financial Services and Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kingsway Financial Services	1	0	0	0	1.00
Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior	0	0	0	1	4.00

Insider & Institutional Ownership

72.4% of Kingsway Financial Services shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 19.5% of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior shares are held by institutional investors. 41.4% of Kingsway Financial Services shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Kingsway Financial Services and Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Kingsway Financial Services	-6.69%	-61.62%	-4.45%
Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior	27.77%	13.77%	1.75%

Summary

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior beats Kingsway Financial Services on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Kingsway Financial Services

Kingsway Financial Services Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the extended warranty business services, asset management, and real estate businesses. The company operates through three segments: Extended Warranty, Leased Real Estate, and Kingsway Search Xcelerator. The Extended Warranty segment markets, sells, and administers vehicle service agreements and related products for new and used automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. This segment also sells new home warranty products, as well as offers uninsured warrant administration services to homebuilders and homeowners; markets and distributes warranty products to manufacturers, distributors, and installers of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, standby generator, commercial LED lighting, and commercial refrigeration equipment; and provides equipment breakdown and maintenance support services to companies. The Leased Real Estate segment owns a parcel of real property consisting of approximately 192 acres located in the State of Texas. The Kingsway Search Xcelerator offers outsourced finance and human resources consulting services, including operational accounting, such as bookkeeping, accounting, financial reporting, and analysis and strategic finance services; technical accounting comprising initial public offerings, SEC reporting, and international consolidation services; human resources, workforce management, and compliance support services; and advisory services. The company offers its products and services through credit unions, dealers, homebuilders, and consumers. Kingsway Financial Services Inc. was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Itasca, Illinois.

About Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates in two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It offers bilateral loans; structured loans including syndicated and clubbed, such as acquisition and pre-export financing, A/B loan financing, bridge loans, and liability management; and project financing. The company also provides letter of credit comprising import and export letters of credit, and credit discounting and financing, as well as usance payable at sight; stand-by services; bank guarantees, including first demand and local guarantees; import and export documentary collection; irrevocable reimbursement undertaking; and canal tolls. In addition, it offers liquidity and investment solutions, such as time deposits, DDA accounts, Yankee certificate of deposits, and EMTN private placement services, as well as supply chain finance services. The company primarily serves financial institutions, corporations, and sovereigns and state-owned entities. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.was formerly known as Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S.A. and changed its name to Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in June 2009. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Panama City, the Republic of Panama.