Contrasting Virginia National Bankshares (NASDAQ:VABK) and Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC)

Virginia National Bankshares (NASDAQ:VABK) and Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership and dividends.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

37.4% of Virginia National Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 30.0% of Bank First shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.6% of Virginia National Bankshares shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.1% of Bank First shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Virginia National Bankshares has a beta of 0.43, meaning that its share price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bank First has a beta of 0.32, meaning that its share price is 68% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Virginia National Bankshares and Bank First’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Virginia National Bankshares	19.25%	10.62%	0.97%
Bank First	32.18%	10.13%	1.47%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Virginia National Bankshares and Bank First’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Virginia National Bankshares	$52.24 million	3.93	$19.26 million	$3.18	12.01
Bank First	$139.55 million	6.77	$74.51 million	$7.70	12.18

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Virginia National Bankshares and Bank First, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Virginia National Bankshares	0	0	0	0	N/A
Bank First	0	2	0	0	2.00

Bank First has a consensus price target of $99.50, indicating a potential upside of 6.11%. Given Bank First’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Bank First is more favorable than Virginia National Bankshares.

Dividends

Virginia National Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Bank First pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. Virginia National Bankshares pays out 41.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Bank First pays out 20.8% 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.

Summary

Bank First beats Virginia National Bankshares on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Virginia National Bankshares

Virginia National Bankshares Corporation operates as the holding company for Virginia National Bank that provides a range of commercial and retail banking services. The company operates through Bank, Sturman Wealth Advisors, VNB Trust and Estate Services, and Masonry Capital segments. It provides checking accounts, demand deposits, NOW accounts, money market deposit accounts, time deposits, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and other depository services. In addition, the company offers commercial and industrial loans, real estate construction and land loans, commercial real estate loans, and 1-4 family residential mortgages, as well as consumer loans comprising student loans, revolving credit, and other fixed payment loans. Further, it provides automated teller machines, internet banking, treasury, and cash management services; merchant and debit card services; and wealth and investment advisory, and brokerage services. Additionally, the company offers investment management, corporate trustee, trust and estate administration, IRA administration, house investment management, and custody services. It serves individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations in the Charlottesville/Albemarle County, Fauquier County, Manassas, Prince William County, Richmond, and Winchester market areas in Virginia. Virginia National Bankshares Corporation was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia.

About Bank First

Bank First Corporation operates as a holding company for Bank First, N.A. that provides consumer and commercial financial services to businesses, professionals, consumers, associations, individuals, and governmental authorities in Wisconsin. It offers checking, savings, money market, cash management, retirement, and health savings accounts; other time deposits; certificates of deposit; and residential mortgage products. The company's loan products include real estate loans, including commercial real estate, residential mortgage, and home equity loans; commercial and industrial loans for working capital, accounts receivable, inventory financing, and other business purposes; construction and development loans; residential 1-4 family loans; and consumer loans for personal and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment loans, and revolving lines of credit. It also provides credit cards; ATM processing; insurance; data processing and other information technology; investment and safekeeping; treasury management; and online, telephone, and mobile banking services. The company was formerly known as Bank First National Corporation and changed its name to Bank First Corporation in June 2019. Bank First Corporation was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.