NSTS Bancorp (NASDAQ:NSTS – Get Free Report) and Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK – Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, dividends and institutional ownership.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
23.7% of NSTS Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 12.7% of Columbia Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.6% of NSTS Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.5% of Columbia Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
This table compares NSTS Bancorp and Columbia Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| NSTS Bancorp | -60.15% | -5.00% | -1.54% |
| Columbia Financial | 3.70% | 3.07% | 0.30% |
Risk & Volatility
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares NSTS Bancorp and Columbia Financial’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| NSTS Bancorp | $6.58 million | 7.77 | -$3.96 million | ($0.80) | -12.01 |
| Columbia Financial | $422.36 million | 3.91 | $36.09 million | $0.16 | 98.38 |
Columbia Financial has higher revenue and earnings than NSTS Bancorp. NSTS Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Columbia Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for NSTS Bancorp and Columbia Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| NSTS Bancorp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Columbia Financial | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
Columbia Financial has a consensus target price of $17.50, indicating a potential upside of 11.18%. Given Columbia Financial’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Columbia Financial is more favorable than NSTS Bancorp.
Summary
Columbia Financial beats NSTS Bancorp on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About NSTS Bancorp
NSTS Bancorp, Inc. operates as a savings and loan holding company for North Shore Trust and Savings that provides banking products and services in Illinois. The company offers interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking, money market, savings, and time deposit accounts; and one- to four-family residential mortgage, multi-family and commercial real estate mortgage, construction, home equity, and consumer loans. It operates through full-service banking offices in Lake County, Illinois; and one loan production office in Chicago. The company was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois.
About Columbia Financial
Columbia Financial, Inc., a bank holding company, provides various financial services to businesses and consumers in the United States. Its deposit products include checking, interest-earning checking products and municipal, savings and club deposits, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides various loans, including multifamily and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans, one-to-four family residential loans, construction loans, home equity loans and advances, and other consumer loans, such as automobiles and personal loans, as well as unsecured and overdraft lines of credit. In addition, it offers title insurance products; wealth management services; and cash management services comprising remote deposit, lockbox service, sweep accounts, and escrow services. The company operates full-service banking offices in New Jersey; and branch offices in Freehold, New Jersey. Columbia Financial, Inc. was founded in 1926 and is based in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Columbia Financial, Inc. is a subsidiary of Columbia Bank MHC.
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