Analyzing First Niles Financial (OTCMKTS:FNFI) and Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC)

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) and First Niles Financial (OTCMKTS:FNFI) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, profitability and valuation.

Volatility & Risk

Great Southern Bancorp has a beta of 0.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Niles Financial has a beta of 0.32, meaning that its stock price is 68% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

41.7% of Great Southern Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 29.8% of Great Southern Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 23.4% of First Niles Financial shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Great Southern Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. First Niles Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Great Southern Bancorp pays out 27.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Niles Financial pays out 51.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Profitability

This table compares Great Southern Bancorp and First Niles Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Great Southern Bancorp	21.33%	11.29%	1.25%
First Niles Financial	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Great Southern Bancorp and First Niles Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Great Southern Bancorp	0	2	1	0	2.33
First Niles Financial	0	0	0	0	0.00

Great Southern Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $65.00, suggesting a potential downside of 13.12%. Given Great Southern Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Great Southern Bancorp is more favorable than First Niles Financial.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Great Southern Bancorp and First Niles Financial”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Great Southern Bancorp	$342.78 million	2.38	$70.97 million	$6.31	11.86
First Niles Financial	$14.03 million	0.85	$840,000.00	$0.47	16.49

Great Southern Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Niles Financial. Great Southern Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Niles Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Great Southern Bancorp beats First Niles Financial on 14 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Great Southern Bancorp

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for Great Southern Bank that provides a range of financial services in the United States. Its deposit products include regular savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, fixed interest rate certificates with varying maturities, certificates of deposit, brokered certificates, and individual retirement accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises residential and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans, construction loans, home improvement loans, and unsecured consumer loans, as well as secured consumer loans, such as automobile loans, boat loans, home equity loans, and loans secured by savings deposits. It also provides insurance and merchant banking services. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.

About First Niles Financial

First Niles Financial, Inc. operates as a holding company for the Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Niles that provides various banking products and services in Ohio, the United States. The company offers personal and business checking and savings, money market deposit, and Christmas club accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also provides various loans, including mortgage and consumer loans, home equity lines of credit, and commercial loans and lines of credit. In addition, the company provides e-statement, and night depository services; debit and ATM cards; safe deposit boxes; direct deposits; I.R.A. certificates of deposit and savings accounts; and online banking services. First Niles Financial, Inc. was founded in 1897 and is based in Niles, Ohio.