Analyzing Madison County Financial (OTCMKTS:MCBK) & First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA)

Madison County Financial (OTCMKTS:MCBK) and First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, risk and profitability.

Risk and Volatility

Madison County Financial has a beta of 0.09, indicating that its stock price is 91% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Citizens BancShares has a beta of 0.63, indicating that its stock price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Madison County Financial and First Citizens BancShares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Madison County Financial	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Citizens BancShares	15.62%	11.37%	1.04%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Madison County Financial and First Citizens BancShares”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Madison County Financial	$32.34 million	2.55	$6.50 million	N/A	N/A
First Citizens BancShares	$14.51 billion	1.63	$2.21 billion	$173.88	11.42

First Citizens BancShares has higher revenue and earnings than Madison County Financial.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

78.0% of First Citizens BancShares shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.9% of Madison County Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 14.6% of First Citizens BancShares shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Madison County Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.61 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. First Citizens BancShares pays an annual dividend of $8.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. First Citizens BancShares pays out 4.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Citizens BancShares has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Madison County Financial and First Citizens BancShares, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Madison County Financial	0	0	0	0	0.00
First Citizens BancShares	0	9	4	1	2.43

First Citizens BancShares has a consensus price target of $2,202.08, suggesting a potential upside of 10.91%. Given First Citizens BancShares’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Citizens BancShares is more favorable than Madison County Financial.

Summary

First Citizens BancShares beats Madison County Financial on 12 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Madison County Financial

Madison County Financial, Inc. operates as the holding company for Madison County Bank that provides banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers checking, money market savings, savings, and individual retirement accounts; certificates of deposit; credit and debit cards; home loans; and consumer loans, including home equity lines of credit, second mortgage, home improvement, recreational vehicle, personal, and overdraft protection loans, as well as loans for automobiles, trucks, and vans. The company also provides agricultural real estate, machinery and equipment, livestock and crop, and operating loans; and commercial real estate, construction, investment property, and working capital loans, as well as equipment financing services. In addition, it offers online and mobile banking, and merchant services. The company was formerly known as Madison County Holding Company and changed its name to Madison County Financial, Inc. in October 2012. Madison County Financial, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Madison, Nebraska.

About First Citizens BancShares

First Citizens BancShares, Inc. operates as the holding company for First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, and professionals. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, money market, and time deposit accounts. Its loan product portfolio comprises commercial construction and mortgage; and commercial and industrial leases, as well as small business administration loans. In addition, the company offers consumer loans, such as residential and revolving mortgage, consumer auto, and other consumer loans. Further, it provides wealth management services, including annuities, brokerage services, and third-party mutual funds, as well as investment management and advisory services. The company provides its products and services through its branch network. First Citizens BancShares, Inc. was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.