Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP – Get Free Report) and BayFirst Financial (NASDAQ:BAFN – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
87.3% of Popular shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 16.9% of BayFirst Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of Popular shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 18.8% of BayFirst Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Popular and BayFirst Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Popular | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 3.00 |
| BayFirst Financial | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Volatility & Risk
Popular has a beta of 0.61, suggesting that its share price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BayFirst Financial has a beta of 0.39, suggesting that its share price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Popular and BayFirst Financial”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Popular | $3.05 billion | 2.84 | $833.16 million | $12.32 | 10.78 |
| BayFirst Financial | $104.19 million | 0.26 | -$22.94 million | ($5.91) | -1.10 |
Popular has higher revenue and earnings than BayFirst Financial. BayFirst Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Popular, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Popular and BayFirst Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Popular | 18.75% | 13.70% | 1.10% |
| BayFirst Financial | -20.99% | -26.38% | -1.73% |
Summary
Popular beats BayFirst Financial on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Popular
Popular, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various retail, mortgage, and commercial banking products and services in Puerto Rico, the United States, and the British Virgin Islands. The company provides savings, NOW, money market, and other interest-bearing demand accounts; non-interest bearing demand deposits; and certificates of deposit. It also offers commercial and industrial, commercial multi-family, commercial real estate, and residential mortgage loans; consumer loans, including personal loans, credit cards, automobile loans, home equity lines of credit, and other loans to individual borrowers; construction loans; and lease financing comprising automobile loans/leases. In addition, the company provides investment banking, auto and equipment leasing and financing, broker-dealer, and insurance services; debit cards; and online banking services. Popular, Inc. was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.
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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