LifeStore Financial Group (OTCMKTS:LSFG) vs. Northfield Bancorp (NASDAQ:NFBK) Financial Comparison

LifeStore Financial Group (OTCMKTS:LSFG) and Northfield Bancorp (NASDAQ:NFBK) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares LifeStore Financial Group and Northfield Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LifeStore Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northfield Bancorp	14.92%	5.20%	0.65%

Risk & Volatility

LifeStore Financial Group has a beta of 0.57, meaning that its share price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Northfield Bancorp has a beta of 0.89, meaning that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

65.5% of Northfield Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 12.2% of LifeStore Financial Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.0% of Northfield Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

LifeStore Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $0.65 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Northfield Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.8%. Northfield Bancorp pays out 53.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for LifeStore Financial Group and Northfield Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LifeStore Financial Group	0	0	0	0	0.00
Northfield Bancorp	0	2	1	0	2.33

Northfield Bancorp has a consensus target price of $13.00, indicating a potential upside of 19.38%. Given Northfield Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Northfield Bancorp is more favorable than LifeStore Financial Group.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares LifeStore Financial Group and Northfield Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LifeStore Financial Group	$33.78 million	N/A	$5.56 million	N/A	N/A
Northfield Bancorp	$254.73 million	1.79	$29.94 million	$0.97	11.23

Northfield Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than LifeStore Financial Group.

Summary

Northfield Bancorp beats LifeStore Financial Group on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LifeStore Financial Group

LifeStore Financial Group, Inc. operates as a federally chartered thrift holding company for LifeStore Bank that provides personal and business banking products and services in North Carolina. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; mortgage loans, automobile loans, home equity lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, commercial construction loans, investment property loans, equipment loans, working capital loans/lines of credit, and small business administration loans; and credit cards. It also provides insurance agency products and services; investment and cash management services; and online and mobile banking services. The company was formerly known as AF Financial Group and changed its name to LifeStore Financial Group, Inc. in September 2009. LifeStore Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in West Jefferson, North Carolina. Lifestore Financial Group, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of AsheCo MHC, Inc.

About Northfield Bancorp

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.