Carver Bancorp (NASDAQ:CARV) & Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) Head to Head Review

Carver Bancorp (NASDAQ:CARV) and Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, valuation and dividends.

Risk and Volatility

Carver Bancorp has a beta of 1.11, meaning that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Finward Bancorp has a beta of 0.53, meaning that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

18.2% of Carver Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.6% of Finward Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Carver Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.2% of Finward Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Carver Bancorp and Finward Bancorp’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Carver Bancorp	$31.30 million	0.23	-$4.40 million	($1.00)	-1.45
Finward Bancorp	$96.53 million	1.11	$8.38 million	$3.60	6.90

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Carver Bancorp and Finward Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Carver Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A
Finward Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A

Profitability

This table compares Carver Bancorp and Finward Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Carver Bancorp	-11.87%	-23.86%	-0.61%
Finward Bancorp	14.11%	11.12%	0.73%

Summary

Finward Bancorp beats Carver Bancorp on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Carver Bancorp

Carver Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Carver Federal Savings Bank that provides consumer and commercial banking services for consumers, businesses, non-profit organizations, and governmental and quasi-governmental agencies primarily in New York. It accepts various deposit products, including demand, savings, and time deposits; passbook and statement accounts, and certificates of deposit; and individual retirement accounts. The company provides lending products, such as one-to-four family residential, multifamily real estate, and commercial real estate lending; and construction, business and small business administration, and consumer and other loans. In addition, it offers other consumer and commercial banking products and services, including debit cards, online account opening and banking, online bill pay, and telephone banking, as well as check cashing, wire transfer, bill payment, reloadable prepaid card, and money order services. Carver Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Finward Bancorp

Finward Bancorp operates as the holding company for Peoples Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company's deposit products include non-interest- and interest-bearing demand accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, certificate accounts, and retirement savings plans. Its loan products portfolio comprises residential mortgage loans that enable borrowers to purchase existing homes, refinance existing homes, or construct new homes; construction loans primarily to individuals and contractors; commercial real estate loans; consumer loans to individuals for personal, household, or family purposes; home equity line of credit; home improvement loans and equity loans; commercial business loans; government loans; and loans to municipalities. The company also offers estate and retirement planning, guardianships, land trusts, profit sharing and 401(k) retirement plans, IRA and Keogh accounts, and investment agency accounts, as well as serves as the personal representative of estates, and acts as trustee for revocable and irrevocable trusts. In addition, it provides insurance and annuity investments to wealth management customers; holds real estate properties; and operates as a real estate investment trust. The company was formerly known as NorthWest Indiana Bancorp and changed its name to Finward Bancorp in May 2021. Finward Bancorp was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Munster, Indiana.