Contrasting Bancorp 34 (OTCMKTS:BCTF) and Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK)

Bancorp 34 (OTCMKTS:BCTF) and Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Bancorp 34 and Columbia Financial”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bancorp 34	$28.85 million	2.49	-$3.40 million	N/A	N/A
Columbia Financial	$422.36 million	4.06	$36.09 million	$0.16	102.26

Columbia Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Bancorp 34.

Volatility & Risk

Bancorp 34 has a beta of 0.32, meaning that its share price is 68% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Columbia Financial has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Bancorp 34 and Columbia Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bancorp 34	-4.02%	-2.38%	-0.22%
Columbia Financial	4.11%	2.42%	0.24%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Bancorp 34 and Columbia Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bancorp 34	0	0	0	0	N/A
Columbia Financial	0	1	1	0	2.50

Columbia Financial has a consensus price target of $17.50, suggesting a potential upside of 6.97%. Given Columbia Financial’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Columbia Financial is more favorable than Bancorp 34.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

6.5% of Bancorp 34 shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 12.7% of Columbia Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 7.4% of Bancorp 34 shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.4% of Columbia Financial shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Columbia Financial beats Bancorp 34 on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bancorp 34

Bancorp 34, Inc. operates as the holding company for Bank 34 that offers various banking products and services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, such as savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, demand and time deposits, NOW accounts, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides term, working capital, construction, USDA, small business administration, equipment, assisted living and skilled nursing, renewable energy and solar equipment, and commercial real estate loans; and small to medium size business and business acquisitions financing; lines of credit; multi-family finance; and employee stock ownership plans, HOA lending, and investor pools of single family rentals. In addition, it offers credit and debit cards; safe deposit boxes; treasury management products; and merchant card processing, cash management, e-banking, mobile and online banking, bill payment, and merchant capture services. The company operates through its network of full-service branches in Scottsdale and Arizona, as well as Alamogordo and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Bancorp 34, Inc. was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.

About Columbia Financial

Columbia Financial, Inc., a bank holding company, provides various financial services to businesses and consumers in the United States. Its deposit products include checking, interest-earning checking products and municipal, savings and club deposits, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides various loans, including multifamily and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans, one-to-four family residential loans, construction loans, home equity loans and advances, and other consumer loans, such as automobiles and personal loans, as well as unsecured and overdraft lines of credit. In addition, it offers title insurance products; wealth management services; and cash management services comprising remote deposit, lockbox service, sweep accounts, and escrow services. The company operates full-service banking offices in New Jersey; and branch offices in Freehold, New Jersey. Columbia Financial, Inc. was founded in 1926 and is based in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Columbia Financial, Inc. is a subsidiary of Columbia Bank MHC.