Comparing Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) & Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF)

Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, institutional ownership and earnings.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Catalyst Bancorp and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Catalyst Bancorp	$23.69 million	2.71	$2.05 million	$0.55	28.85
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	$935.52 million	3.18	$144.88 million	$1.52	20.14

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has higher revenue and earnings than Catalyst Bancorp. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Catalyst Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility & Risk

Catalyst Bancorp has a beta of 0.12, indicating that its share price is 88% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a beta of 0.88, indicating that its share price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Catalyst Bancorp and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Catalyst Bancorp	13.09%	2.48%	0.72%
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	14.42%	8.23%	1.11%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Catalyst Bancorp and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Catalyst Bancorp	0	1	0	0	2.00
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	0	3	3	0	2.50

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a consensus target price of $33.13, indicating a potential upside of 8.18%. Given Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is more favorable than Catalyst Bancorp.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

33.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.8% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are held by institutional investors. 10.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida beats Catalyst Bancorp on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Catalyst Bancorp

Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Catalyst Bank that provides various banking services to individuals and businesses in Louisiana. The company accepts various deposit products, including savings accounts, demand and NOW accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. It also offers single family residential first mortgage loans, commercial real estate mortgage loans, multi-family residential mortgage loans, commercial and industrial loans, construction and land loans, consumer loans, and other loans. In addition, the company invests in various types of securities comprising mortgage-backed securities, the U.S. treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies and of state and municipal governments, certificates of deposit at federally insured banks and savings institutions, and federal funds. Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Opelousas, Louisiana.

About Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of integrated financial services. It provides banking and investment services to businesses and consumers, including personal and business deposit products, Internet and mobile banking, personal, commercial and mortgage loans, wealth management services, and treasury management solutions. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Stuart, FL.