Contrasting First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) & Orange County Bancorp (NASDAQ:OBT)

Orange County Bancorp (NASDAQ:OBT) and First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, risk, valuation and earnings.

Dividends

Orange County Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. First Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Orange County Bancorp pays out 21.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Bank pays out 20.7% 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. First Bank is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Volatility & Risk

Orange County Bancorp has a beta of 0.43, suggesting that its stock price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Bank has a beta of 0.72, suggesting that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Orange County Bancorp and First Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Orange County Bancorp	26.32%	17.24%	1.60%
First Bank	17.76%	10.32%	1.10%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Orange County Bancorp and First Bank”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Orange County Bancorp	$158.13 million	2.99	$41.61 million	$3.32	10.64
First Bank	$245.83 million	N/A	$43.66 million	$1.74	9.94

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Orange County Bancorp and First Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Orange County Bancorp	0	1	3	0	2.75
First Bank	0	2	2	0	2.50

Orange County Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $37.00, indicating a potential upside of 4.79%. First Bank has a consensus target price of $18.25, indicating a potential upside of 5.49%. Given First Bank’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Bank is more favorable than Orange County Bancorp.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

42.6% of Orange County Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.9% of First Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.3% of Orange County Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 13.1% of First Bank shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

First Bank beats Orange County Bancorp on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Orange County Bancorp

Orange County Bancorp, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides commercial and consumer banking products and services, and trust and wealth management services to small businesses, middle-market enterprises, local municipal governments, and individuals. It accepts various deposits, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing demand accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company also offers commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate construction loans, residential real estate loans, home equity loans, and consumer loans. In addition, it provides traditional trust and administration, asset management, financial planning, and wealth management services. The company operates full-service branches and loan production office in Orange, Westchester, Rockland, and Bronx counties in New York. Orange County Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in Middletown, New York.

About First Bank

First Bank provides various banking products and services to small to mid-sized businesses and individuals. The company accepts various deposits, including non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as commercial checking accounts. It also offers various loan products comprising commercial and industrial loans, which include line of credit, inventory, equipment, and short-term working capital financing; commercial real estate loans, such as owner-occupied, investor, construction and development, and multi-family loans; residential real estate loans comprising residential mortgages, first and second lien home equity loans, and revolving lines of credit; and consumer and other loans consists of auto, personal, traditional installment, and other loans. The company also provides electronic banking services, including Internet and mobile banking, electronic bill payment, and banking by phone; ATM and debit cards, and wire and ACH transfer services; remote deposit capture; and cash management services, as well as engages in the capital markets activities. It operates full-service branches in Cinnaminson, Delanco, Denville, Ewing, Fairfield, Flemington, Hamilton, Lawrence, Monroe, Pennington, Randolph, Somerset, and Williamstown, New Jersey; Doylestown, Trevose, Warminster, and West Chester, Paoli, Malvern, Coventry, Devon, Lionville, and Glen Mills Pennsylvania; and Palm Beach, Florida. First Bank was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Hamilton, New Jersey.