Financial Contrast: First Republic Bank (OTCMKTS:FRCB) & KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY)

First Republic Bank (OTCMKTS:FRCB) and KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares First Republic Bank and KBC Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Republic Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A
KBC Group	13.46%	14.44%	0.96%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares First Republic Bank and KBC Group’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Republic Bank	$6.75 billion	0.00	$1.67 billion	7.48	0.00
KBC Group	$28.05 billion	1.11	$3.68 billion	$4.36	8.55

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for First Republic Bank and KBC Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Republic Bank	0	0	0	0	N/A
KBC Group	0	1	0	0	2.00

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.0% of First Republic Bank shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of First Republic Bank shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

First Republic Bank has a beta of 1.79, suggesting that its stock price is 79% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, KBC Group has a beta of 1.16, suggesting that its stock price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

KBC Group beats First Republic Bank on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Republic Bank

As of May 1, 2023, First Republic Bank went out of business. Previously, First Republic Bank provided private banking, private business banking, and private wealth management services to clients in metropolitan areas in the United States. The company was founded in 1985 and was headquartered in San Francisco, California. First Republic Bank now trades on OTCPK.

About KBC Group

KBC Group NV, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated bank-insurance services primarily for retail, private banking, small and medium sized enterprises, and mid-cap clients. The company offers demand deposits and savings accounts; home and mortgage loans; consumer finance and SME funding services; credit, investment fund and asset management, and life and non-life insurance; and cash management, payments, trade finance, lease, money market, capital market products, and stockbroking services. It also provides digital and mobile banking services. The company was formerly known as KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company NV and changed its name to KBC Group NV in March 2005. KBC Group NV was incorporated in 1935 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.