Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Head to Head Comparison

Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Camden National and Southern First Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Camden National	16.01%	10.47%	0.88%
Southern First Bancshares	6.67%	4.41%	0.34%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Camden National and Southern First Bancshares’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Camden National	$156.45 million	3.53	$43.38 million	$3.01	12.58
Southern First Bancshares	$87.85 million	2.93	$13.43 million	$1.64	19.26

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

Volatility and Risk

Camden National has a beta of 0.74, meaning that its share price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Southern First Bancshares has a beta of 0.83, meaning that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

77.4% of Camden National shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Camden National shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 7.6% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Camden National and Southern First Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Camden National	0	2	0	0	2.00
Southern First Bancshares	0	0	1	0	3.00

Camden National presently has a consensus price target of $41.00, indicating a potential upside of 8.29%. Southern First Bancshares has a consensus price target of $44.00, indicating a potential upside of 39.33%. Given Southern First Bancshares’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Southern First Bancshares is more favorable than Camden National.

Summary

Camden National beats Southern First Bancshares on 8 of the 14 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 Southern First Bancshares

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Southern First Bank that provides commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans to the general public in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. The company accepts various deposit products that include checking accounts, commercial checking accounts, and savings accounts, as well as other time deposits, including daily money market accounts and long-term certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans; construction real estate loans; commercial business loans for various lines of businesses, such as the manufacturing, service industry, and professional service areas; consumer real estate and home equity loans; and other consumer loans, including secured and unsecured installment loans and revolving lines of credit. In addition, the company provides other bank services, such as internet banking, cash management, safe deposit boxes, direct deposit, automatic drafts, bill payment, and mobile banking services. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.