Community Investors Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CIBN) and Mid-Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:MSVB) Critical Review

Risk and Volatility

Mid-Southern Bancorp has a beta of 0.17, suggesting that its share price is 83% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Community Investors Bancorp has a beta of 0.25, suggesting that its share price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

10.1% of Mid-Southern Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 10.2% of Mid-Southern Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.8% of Community Investors Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Mid-Southern Bancorp and Community Investors Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mid-Southern Bancorp	9.43%	3.08%	0.45%
Community Investors Bancorp	6.37%	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Mid-Southern Bancorp and Community Investors Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mid-Southern Bancorp	$8.88 million	4.79	$1.46 million	$0.40	36.88
Community Investors Bancorp	$17.26 million	0.85	$1.14 million	$1.49	12.52

Mid-Southern Bancorp has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Community Investors Bancorp. Community Investors Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mid-Southern Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Mid-Southern Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Community Investors Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Mid-Southern Bancorp pays out 60.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Community Investors Bancorp pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Community Investors Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Mid-Southern Bancorp beats Community Investors Bancorp on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Mid-Southern Bancorp

Mid-Southern Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Mid-Southern Savings Bank, FSB that provides various banking products and services to individuals and business customers. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and term deposits. The company also offers loans secured by first mortgages on one- to four-family residences, including home equity loans and lines of credit; commercial and multifamily real estate loans; construction loans secured by single-family residences; commercial and multifamily real estate loans; land and lot loans; commercial business loans; consumer loans, including new and used manufactured homes, automobiles and truck, boats, and motorcycles and recreational vehicle loans; loans secured by savings deposits and other personal loans; and unsecured consumer loans. In addition, it holds and manages an investment securities portfolio. The company provides its products and services through its main office in Salem; and through its branch offices located in Mitchell and Orleans, Indiana, as well as through loan production offices located in New Albany, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Salem, Indiana.

About Community Investors Bancorp

Community Investors Bancorp, Inc. operates as a thrift holding company for First Federal Community Bank of Bucyrus that engages in the provision of banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in northern Ohio. The company offers deposit accounts, including demand, NOW, checking, savings, money market, Christmas club, health savings, certificates of deposit, time deposit, and individual retirement accounts. It also provides consumer loans, home equity loans, home equity line of credit, auto and RV loans, residential real estate loans, mortgage loans, and construction loans for personal use; and business loans, lines of credit, term loans, ag loans, nonresidential real estate loans, secured loans, credit cards, commercial investment real estate, construction loans, and equipment financing for business use. In addition, the company offers online and mobile banking, bill payments, e-statements, remote deposit capture, cash management, mobile and night deposits, debit cards, overdraft protection, safety deposit boxes, telephone banking, positive pay/check reconciliation, direct deposit, and ACH and payroll services. Community Investors Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is based in Bucyrus, Ohio.