First Hawaiian (FHB) Competitors

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and First Hawaiian (NASDAQ:FHB) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, earnings, dividends and institutional ownership.

Does the media favor ABCB or FHB?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 8 more articles in the media than First Hawaiian. MarketBeat recorded 15 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 7 mentions for First Hawaiian. First Hawaiian's average media sentiment score of 0.79 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 0.75 indicating that First Hawaiian is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Hawaiian	2 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals believe in ABCB or FHB?

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.6% of First Hawaiian shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.5% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of First Hawaiian shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is ABCB or FHB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to First Hawaiian's net margin of 21.45%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat First Hawaiian's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
First Hawaiian	21.45%	9.29%	1.04%

Which has more volatility and risk, ABCB or FHB?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Hawaiian has a beta of 0.84, meaning that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is ABCB or FHB a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. First Hawaiian pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Hawaiian pays out 53.6% 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.

Which has better earnings and valuation, ABCB or FHB?

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

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ameris Bancorp	$1.14B	3.98	$358.68M	$5.68	11.60
First Hawaiian	$1.17B	2.56	$230.13M	$1.94	12.23

Do analysts recommend ABCB or FHB?

Ameris Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $72.14, suggesting a potential upside of 9.46%. First Hawaiian has a consensus price target of $27.64, suggesting a potential upside of 16.49%. Given First Hawaiian's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Hawaiian is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
First Hawaiian	4 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.43

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats First Hawaiian on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.