Critical Comparison: Central Plains Bancshares (NASDAQ:CPBI) & Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) (NASDAQ:NFBK)

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) (NASDAQ:NFBK) and Central Plains Bancshares (NASDAQ:CPBI) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, profitability, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) and Central Plains Bancshares”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY)	$127.91 million	3.68	$29.94 million	$0.72	15.15
Central Plains Bancshares	$1.26 million	50.43	$3.76 million	N/A	N/A

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) has higher revenue and earnings than Central Plains Bancshares.

Profitability

This table compares Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) and Central Plains Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY)	11.76%	4.12%	0.50%
Central Plains Bancshares	13.97%	4.63%	0.78%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

65.5% of Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.3% of Central Plains Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 6.5% of Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Central Plains Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) and Central Plains Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY)	0	2	0	0	2.00
Central Plains Bancshares	0	0	0	0	0.00

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) presently has a consensus price target of $12.00, indicating a potential upside of 9.99%. Given Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY)’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) is more favorable than Central Plains Bancshares.

Volatility & Risk

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) has a beta of 0.77, suggesting that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Central Plains Bancshares has a beta of 0.13, suggesting that its share price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) beats Central Plains Bancshares on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY)

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) operates as the bank holding company for Northfield Bank that provides various banking products and services primarily to individuals and corporate customers. It accepts various deposits products, including certificates of deposit, passbook, statement, and money market savings accounts; transaction deposit accounts comprising negotiable orders of withdrawal accounts, and interest and non-interest-bearing checking accounts; and brokered deposits. The company also offers various loans comprising multifamily and other commercial real estate loans, construction and land loans, commercial and industrial loans, one-to-four family residential real estate loans, and home equity loans and lines of credit. In addition, it purchases various investment securities, such as mortgage-backed securities and corporate bonds; and deposits funds in other financial institutions, as well as holds mortgage loans, mortgage-backed securities, and other investments. Further, the company provides automated teller machines; telephone, internet, and mobile banking services; and ACH and wire transfers, cash management, positive pay, and remote deposit capture services. It operates full-service banking offices in Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York; and Hunterdon, Middlesex, Mercer, and Union counties, New Jersey. Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Woodbridge, New Jersey.

About Central Plains Bancshares

Central Plains Bancshares, Inc. focuses on providing various banking products and services to retail customers, and small and medium-sized commercial customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers checking accounts, savings accounts, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company also provides one- to four-family residential mortgage loans secured by properties, as well as commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, multi-family residential real estate loans, construction and land development loans, agricultural real estate and non-real estate loans, and consumer loans. In addition, it offers electronic banking services, including mobile banking, on-line banking and bill pay, and electronic funds transfer. The company was incorporated in 2023 and is based in Grand Island, Nebraska.