Head to Head Contrast: First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) vs. Blue Foundry Bancorp (NASDAQ:BLFY)

Blue Foundry Bancorp (NASDAQ:BLFY) and First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Blue Foundry Bancorp and First Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Blue Foundry Bancorp	1	0	0	0	1.00
First Bank	0	2	2	0	2.50

First Bank has a consensus target price of $17.75, suggesting a potential upside of 9.70%. Given First Bank’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Bank is more favorable than Blue Foundry Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares Blue Foundry Bancorp and First Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Blue Foundry Bancorp	-9.82%	-2.84%	-0.44%
First Bank	17.76%	10.32%	1.10%

Volatility & Risk

Blue Foundry Bancorp has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its share price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Bank has a beta of 0.65, suggesting that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Blue Foundry Bancorp and First Bank”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Blue Foundry Bancorp	$96.99 million	2.61	-$11.91 million	($0.46)	-28.78
First Bank	$147.20 million	2.76	$43.66 million	$1.74	9.30

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

Institutional and Insider Ownership

56.5% of Blue Foundry Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.9% of First Bank shares are held by institutional investors. 5.3% of Blue Foundry Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 13.1% of First Bank shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

First Bank beats Blue Foundry Bancorp on 14 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Blue Foundry Bancorp

Blue Foundry Bancorp operates as a bank holding company for Blue Foundry Bank, a savings bank that offers various banking products and services for individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers saving, time, and non-interest bearing deposits; demand accounts; and loans, such as one-to-four family residential property, multi-family, residential real estate, non-residential real estate, consumer, construction, and commercial and industrial loans, as well as junior liens and home equity lines of credit. The company was formerly known as Boiling Springs Bancorp and changed its name to Blue Foundry Bancorp in July 2019. Blue Foundry Bancorp was founded in 1939 and is based in Rutherford, New Jersey.

About First Bank

First Bank provides various banking products and services to small to mid-sized businesses and individuals. The company accepts various deposits, including non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as commercial checking accounts. It also offers various loan products comprising commercial and industrial loans, which include line of credit, inventory, equipment, and short-term working capital financing; commercial real estate loans, such as owner-occupied, investor, construction and development, and multi-family loans; residential real estate loans comprising residential mortgages, first and second lien home equity loans, and revolving lines of credit; and consumer and other loans consists of auto, personal, traditional installment, and other loans. The company also provides electronic banking services, including Internet and mobile banking, electronic bill payment, and banking by phone; ATM and debit cards, and wire and ACH transfer services; remote deposit capture; and cash management services, as well as engages in the capital markets activities. It operates full-service branches in Cinnaminson, Delanco, Denville, Ewing, Fairfield, Flemington, Hamilton, Lawrence, Monroe, Pennington, Randolph, Somerset, and Williamstown, New Jersey; Doylestown, Trevose, Warminster, and West Chester, Paoli, Malvern, Coventry, Devon, Lionville, and Glen Mills Pennsylvania; and Palm Beach, Florida. First Bank was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Hamilton, New Jersey.