GrandSouth Bancorporation (OTCMKTS:GRRB) & First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) Head-To-Head Analysis

GrandSouth Bancorporation (OTCMKTS:GRRB) and First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

68.4% of First Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 33.3% of GrandSouth Bancorporation shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of First Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares GrandSouth Bancorporation and First Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
GrandSouth Bancorporation	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Bancorp	$400.42 million	6.65	$111.05 million	$2.93	21.96

First Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than GrandSouth Bancorporation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for GrandSouth Bancorporation and First Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
GrandSouth Bancorporation	0	0	0	0	0.00
First Bancorp	0	3	3	1	2.71

First Bancorp has a consensus target price of $62.95, suggesting a potential downside of 2.17%. Given First Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First Bancorp is more favorable than GrandSouth Bancorporation.

Profitability

This table compares GrandSouth Bancorporation and First Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
GrandSouth Bancorporation	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Bancorp	20.59%	10.86%	1.38%

Summary

First Bancorp beats GrandSouth Bancorporation on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About GrandSouth Bancorporation

GrandSouth Bancorporation operates as the bank holding company for GrandSouth Bank that provides banking services to individuals and businesses. It accepts checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, various term certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. The company also offers one-to-four family residential, commercial real estate, home equity and lines of credit, residential construction and other construction and land, and commercial loans; and consumer loans comprising loans secured by personal property, such as automobiles, marketable securities, and boats and motorcycles, as well as unsecured consumer debt. In addition, it invests in investment securities, as well as provides specialty floor plan lending to small auto dealerships under the CarBucks trade name. The company operates through eight branches across South Carolina. GrandSouth Bancorporation was founded in 1998 and is based in Greenville, South Carolina.

About First Bancorp

First Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides banking products and services for individuals and small to medium-sized businesses. The company accepts deposit products, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits, including certificate of deposits and individual retirement accounts. It also offers loans for a range of consumer and commercial purposes comprising loans for business, real estate, personal, home improvement, and automobiles, as well as residential mortgages and small business administration loans; and accounts receivable financing and factoring, inventory financing, and purchase order financing services. In addition, the company provides credit and debit cards, letter of credits, and safe deposit box rental services, as well as electronic funds transfer services consisting of wire transfers; and internet and mobile banking, cash management, bank-by-phone services, and remote deposit capture services. Further, it offers investment and insurance products, such as mutual funds, annuities, long-term care insurance, life insurance, and company retirement plans, as well as property and casualty insurance products; and financial planning services. The company was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina.