Renasant (RNST) Competitors

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

Which has more volatility & risk, RNST or ABCB?

Renasant has a beta of 0.9, indicating that its stock price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, indicating that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media refer more to RNST or ABCB?

In the previous week, Renasant and Renasant both had 10 articles in the media. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Renasant's score of 0.65 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Renasant	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ameris Bancorp	7 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher valuation and earnings, RNST or ABCB?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Renasant. Renasant is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris Bancorp, 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
Renasant	$668.50M	5.52	$195.46M	$3.22	12.06
Ameris Bancorp	$1.12B	4.13	$358.68M	$5.40	12.46

Do analysts prefer RNST or ABCB?

Renasant presently has a consensus price target of $41.00, indicating a potential upside of 5.60%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $71.43, indicating a potential upside of 6.17%. Given Ameris Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than Renasant.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Renasant	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Is RNST or ABCB more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Renasant's net margin of 17.91%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat Renasant's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Renasant	17.91%	6.58%	0.93%
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%

Is RNST or ABCB a better dividend stock?

Renasant pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Renasant pays out 27.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.8% 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.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in RNST or ABCB?

77.3% of Renasant shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 2.8% of Renasant shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Renasant on 15 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.