Financial Contrast: China CITIC Bank (OTCMKTS:CHCJY) versus Shinhan Financial Group (NYSE:SHG)

Shinhan Financial Group (NYSE:SHG) and China CITIC Bank (OTCMKTS:CHCJY) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Shinhan Financial Group and China CITIC Bank”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Shinhan Financial Group	$23.83 billion	1.39	$3.48 billion	$7.44	9.50
China CITIC Bank	$49.07 billion	0.97	$9.82 billion	$3.45	5.64

China CITIC Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Shinhan Financial Group. China CITIC Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Shinhan Financial Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Shinhan Financial Group and China CITIC Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Shinhan Financial Group	0	0	1	1	3.50
China CITIC Bank	0	1	0	0	2.00

Dividends

Shinhan Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $1.71 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. China CITIC Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.87 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Shinhan Financial Group pays out 23.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. China CITIC Bank pays out 25.2% 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.

Volatility and Risk

Shinhan Financial Group has a beta of 0.98, meaning that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, China CITIC Bank has a beta of 0.31, meaning that its stock price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Shinhan Financial Group and China CITIC Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Shinhan Financial Group	15.69%	8.63%	0.66%
China CITIC Bank	20.81%	8.35%	0.71%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

7.8% of Shinhan Financial Group shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Shinhan Financial Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Shinhan Financial Group beats China CITIC Bank on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Shinhan Financial Group

Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. provides financial products and services in South Korea and internationally. The company operates through six segments: Banking, Credit Card, Securities, Insurance, Credit, and Others. It offers retail banking services, including demand, savings, and fixed deposit-taking; checking accounts; mortgage and home equity, and retail lending; electronic banking and automatic teller machines (ATM); and bill paying, payroll and check-cashing, currency exchange, and wire fund transfer services. The company also provides corporate banking services, such as investment banking, real estate financing, overseas real estate and development project financing, infrastructure and structured financing, equity/venture investments, mergers and acquisitions consulting; securitization and derivatives services comprising securities and derivative products, and foreign exchange trading; business expansion financing and consulting services; and working capital loans and facilities loans. In addition, it is involved in treasury and investment activities in international capital markets consisting of foreign currency-denominated securities trading, foreign exchange trading and services, trade-related financial services, international factoring services, and foreign banking operations. Further, the company offers real estate trust, investment advisory, venture business investment, life and non-life insurance, trust account management, securities brokerage, and asset management services, as well as leasing and equipment financing, savings banking, loan collection and credit reporting, collective investment administration, private equity investment, and financial system development services. Additionally, it provides transaction history inquiries and fund transfers, opening letters of credit, trade finance, payment and collection management, sales and acquisition settlement, business-to-business settlement, sweeping, pooling, ERP interface, host-to-host banking, SWIFT SCORE, and cash and liquidity management service. Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

About China CITIC Bank

China CITIC Bank Corporation Limited provides various banking products and services in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company operates in segments, such as Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, and Financial Market business. It accepts deposits; offers corporate and personal loans; and provides securities agency, remittance and settlement, and guarantee services, as well as investment banking and international services. The company also engages in the capital markets operations and inter-bank operations, including inter-bank money market transactions, repurchase transactions, investments, and trading in debt instruments; and derivatives and forex trading. In addition, it offers asset management, finance leasing, wealth management, ageing finance, private banking, credit card, payroll, and other non-banking financial services. The company serves corporations, government agencies, and non-financial institutions; and individual customers and micro and small enterprises. The company operates tier-one branches, tier-two branches, and sub-branches; self-service banks; and self-service terminals, as well as smart teller machines. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China CITIC Bank Corporation Limited operates as a subsidiary of CITIC Financial Holdings Co., Ltd.