Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB – Get Free Report) and Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, dividends, earnings and risk.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Ameris Bancorp and Metropolitan Bank”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ameris Bancorp | $1.52 billion | 3.12 | $269.11 million | $4.80 | 14.31 |
| Metropolitan Bank | $403.31 million | 1.76 | $76.90 million | $5.32 | 11.89 |
Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Metropolitan Bank. Metropolitan Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility & Risk
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Ameris Bancorp and Metropolitan Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ameris Bancorp | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2.83 |
| Metropolitan Bank | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.00 |
Ameris Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $66.67, suggesting a potential downside of 2.97%. Metropolitan Bank has a consensus target price of $66.38, suggesting a potential upside of 4.91%. Given Metropolitan Bank’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Metropolitan Bank is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.
Profitability
This table compares Ameris Bancorp and Metropolitan Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ameris Bancorp | 20.08% | 9.18% | 1.25% |
| Metropolitan Bank | 12.47% | 10.02% | 0.94% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.8% of Metropolitan Bank shares are held by institutional investors. 5.5% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.5% of Metropolitan Bank shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
Ameris Bancorp beats Metropolitan Bank on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Ameris Bancorp
Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through five segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, SBA Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, regular interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts. It also provides commercial real estate, residential real estate mortgage, agricultural, and commercial and industrial loans; consumer loans, including motor vehicle, home improvement, and home equity loans, as well as loans secured by savings accounts and personal credit lines. In addition, the company originates, administers, and services commercial insurance premium loans, equipment finance loans, and small business administration loans. It operates full service domestic banking offices, and mortgage and loan production offices. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
About Metropolitan Bank
Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank that provides a range of business, commercial, and retail banking products and services to small businesses, middle-market enterprises, public entities, and individuals in the New York metropolitan area. The company offers checking, savings, term deposit, money market, demand deposit, and other interest-bearing transaction accounts. It also provides lending products, including commercial real estate, multi-family, construction, and one-to four-family real estate loans; commercial and industrial loans; consumer loans; acquisition and renovation loans; loans to refinance or return borrower equity; loans on owner-occupied properties; working capital lines of credit; trade finance and letters of credit; and term loans. In addition, the company offers cash management services, as well as online and mobile banking, ACH, remote deposit capture, and debit cards. The company was formerly known as Metbank Holding Corp. and changed its name to Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. in January 2007. Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
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