Head-To-Head Comparison: First Savings Financial Group (NASDAQ:FSFG) and AMB Financial (OTCMKTS:AMFC)

First Savings Financial Group (NASDAQ:FSFG) and AMB Financial (OTCMKTS:AMFC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

35.2% of First Savings Financial Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.2% of AMB Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.1% of First Savings Financial Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 37.7% of AMB Financial shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

First Savings Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $0.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. AMB Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. First Savings Financial Group pays out 22.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Savings Financial Group has increased its dividend for 12 consecutive years. First Savings Financial Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Profitability

This table compares First Savings Financial Group and AMB Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Savings Financial Group	13.34%	8.79%	0.63%
AMB Financial	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares First Savings Financial Group and AMB Financial”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Savings Financial Group	$76.80 million	2.51	$13.59 million	$2.81	9.90
AMB Financial	$18.97 million	1.04	$2.19 million	N/A	N/A

First Savings Financial Group has higher revenue and earnings than AMB Financial.

Risk and Volatility

First Savings Financial Group has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AMB Financial has a beta of 0.25, suggesting that its stock price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for First Savings Financial Group and AMB Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Savings Financial Group	0	0	3	0	3.00
AMB Financial	0	0	0	0	0.00

First Savings Financial Group presently has a consensus price target of $32.33, suggesting a potential upside of 16.18%. Given First Savings Financial Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Savings Financial Group is more favorable than AMB Financial.

Summary

First Savings Financial Group beats AMB Financial on 13 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Savings Financial Group

First Savings Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for First Savings Bank that provides various financial services to consumers and businesses in southern Indiana. The company operates through three segments: Core Banking, SBA Lending, and Mortgage Banking. It accepts deposits, such as checking accounts, NOW and money market accounts, regular savings accounts, and time deposits. The company also provides loans, including one-to four-family residential real estate, commercial real estate, construction, land and land development, multi-family real estate, and commercial business loans, as well as consumer loans, such as automobile and truck loans, home equity lines of credit, home improvement loans, unsecured loans, boat and mobile home loans, loans secured by savings deposits, and other personal loans. In addition, it is involved in the mortgage banking; investment activities; and the provision of property and casualty insurance products, and reinsurance to other third-party insurance captives. First Savings Financial Group, Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

About AMB Financial

AMB Financial Corp. operates as the bank holding company for American Community Bank of Indiana that provides financial services to customers in Indiana. The company provides savings, checking, health savings, individual retirement, and money market deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It offers business checking accounts, business debit and credit cards, and order business checks. In addition, the company offers mortgage loans, home equity loans, construction/lot loans, community loans, vehicle loans, and loan servicing; and commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, and SBA loans. Further, it provides merchant, remote deposit, wire services, fraud protection, and ACH origination; sweep services, zero balance accounts, lockbox services, vault services, and wealth management services; online, mobile, voice, and banking services; money order and e-statement services; cashier’s checks; and safe deposit boxes. The company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Saint John, Indiana.