BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) versus Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC) Critical Survey

Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC) and BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Camden National and BancFirst”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Camden National	$373.18 million	2.70	$65.16 million	$5.31	11.22
BancFirst	$960.40 million	4.03	$240.61 million	$7.53	15.28

BancFirst has higher revenue and earnings than Camden National. Camden National is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than BancFirst, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Camden National pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. BancFirst pays an annual dividend of $2.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Camden National pays out 31.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. BancFirst pays out 27.6% 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. BancFirst has increased its dividend for 31 consecutive years.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

77.4% of Camden National shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 51.7% of BancFirst shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.1% of Camden National shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 31.7% of BancFirst shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Camden National has a beta of 0.58, suggesting that its stock price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BancFirst has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Camden National and BancFirst, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Camden National	1	3	2	0	2.17
BancFirst	0	4	0	0	2.00

Camden National presently has a consensus target price of $56.00, suggesting a potential downside of 5.98%. BancFirst has a consensus target price of $123.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6.90%. Given BancFirst’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe BancFirst is more favorable than Camden National.

Profitability

This table compares Camden National and BancFirst’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Camden National	24.16%	12.71%	1.30%
BancFirst	32.44%	13.47%	1.71%

Summary

BancFirst beats Camden National on 13 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Camden National

Camden National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Camden National Bank that provides various commercial and consumer banking products and services for consumer, institutional, municipal, non-profit, and commercial customers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The company accepts checking, savings, time, and brokered deposits, as well as deposits with the certificate of deposit account registry system. Its loan products include non-owner-occupied commercial estate loans, owner-occupied commercial real estate loans, unsecured fully-guaranteed commercial loans backed by the small business administration, loans secured by one-to four-family properties, and consumer and home equity loans. The company also provides brokerage and insurance services through its financial offerings consisting of college, retirement, estate planning, mutual funds, strategic asset management accounts, and variable and fixed annuities. Further, it offers a range of fiduciary and asset management, wealth management, investment management, financial planning, and trustee services. Camden National Corporation was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Camden, Maine.

About BancFirst

BancFirst Corporation operates as the bank holding company for BancFirst that provides a range of commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses. The company operates through BancFirst Metropolitan Banks, BancFirst Community Banks, Pegasus, Worthington, and Other Financial Services segments. It offers checking accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, sweep accounts, club accounts, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as overdraft protection and auto draft services. The company also provides commercial and agricultural non-real estate loans for working capital, facilities acquisition or expansion, purchase of equipment, and other needs; lending services that include private banking, energy, commercial and residential real estate, and commercial and industrial loans; and loans to finance purchases of consumer goods, such as automobiles, boats, household goods, vacations, and education. In addition, it engages in the investment management and administration of trusts for individuals, corporations, and employee benefit plans, as well as bond trustee and paying agent business for various Oklahoma municipalities and governmental entities; and provision of item processing, research, and other correspondent banking services to financial institutions and governmental units. Further, the company provides insurance agency services; depository and funds transfer, collection, safe deposit box, cash management, and other services. It serves customers in non-metropolitan trade centers and cities in the metropolitan statistical areas of Oklahoma. The company was formerly known as United Community Corporation and changed its name to BancFirst Corporation in November 1988. BancFirst Corporation was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.