Horizon Bancorp (IN) (HBNC) Competitors

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and Horizon Bancorp (IN) (NASDAQ:HBNC) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings and risk.

Does the media favor ABCB or HBNC?

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 4 more articles in the media than Horizon Bancorp (IN). MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 10 mentions for Horizon Bancorp (IN). Horizon Bancorp (IN)'s average media sentiment score of 0.90 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 0.75 indicating that Horizon Bancorp (IN) is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Horizon Bancorp (IN)	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ABCB or HBNC more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Horizon Bancorp (IN)'s net margin of 13.84%. Horizon Bancorp (IN)'s return on equity of 10.30% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
Horizon Bancorp (IN)	13.84%	10.30%	1.01%

Do analysts rate ABCB or HBNC?

Ameris Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $72.14, suggesting a potential upside of 9.46%. Horizon Bancorp (IN) has a consensus target price of $18.00, suggesting a potential upside of 19.92%. Given Horizon Bancorp (IN)'s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Horizon Bancorp (IN) 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
Horizon Bancorp (IN)	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of ABCB or HBNC?

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.5% of Horizon Bancorp (IN) shares are held by institutional investors. 5.5% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Horizon Bancorp (IN) shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is ABCB or HBNC a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Horizon Bancorp (IN) pays an annual dividend of $0.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Horizon Bancorp (IN) pays out 54.7% 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 HBNC?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Horizon Bancorp (IN). Ameris Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Horizon Bancorp (IN), 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
Horizon Bancorp (IN)	$203.08M	3.25	$35.43M	$1.17	12.83

Which has more volatility and risk, ABCB or HBNC?

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

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Horizon Bancorp (IN) on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.