Shore Community Bank (OTCMKTS:SHRC) and First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Financial Contrast

Shore Community Bank (OTCMKTS:SHRC) and First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and risk.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Shore Community Bank and First Financial Bancorp.”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Shore Community Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Financial Bancorp.	$840.71 million	2.86	$228.83 million	$2.41	10.41

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than Shore Community Bank.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Shore Community Bank and First Financial Bancorp., as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Shore Community Bank	0	0	0	0	0.00
First Financial Bancorp.	0	3	1	0	2.25

First Financial Bancorp. has a consensus price target of $29.25, suggesting a potential upside of 16.53%. Given First Financial Bancorp.’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Financial Bancorp. is more favorable than Shore Community Bank.

Profitability

This table compares Shore Community Bank and First Financial Bancorp.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Shore Community Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Financial Bancorp.	18.67%	10.52%	1.38%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.0% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

First Financial Bancorp. beats Shore Community Bank on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Shore Community Bank

Shore Community Bank, a state chartered bank, provides banking products and services to businesses and individuals in Ocean County, New Jersey. The company's deposit products include checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, money market accounts, visa/mastercard merchant deposit accounts, and payroll/direct deposit accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises personal, home equity, term, and demand loans; lines of credit; letters of credit; commercial mortgages; and construction lending. The company also offers direct deposit and electronic transfer, wire transfer, ACH origination, night depository, tenant rent security, signature guarantee, remote deposit, notary, and automated asset management services; safe deposit boxes, escrow accounts, and debit cards, as well as online and telephone banking services. As of April 28, 2016, it operated five banking offices located in Toms River, Jackson, and Manahawkin, New Jersey. Shore Community Bank was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Toms River, New Jersey.

About First Financial Bancorp.

First Financial Bancorp. operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Bank that provides commercial banking and related services to individuals and businesses in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The company offers checking, savings, and money-market accounts; and accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for commercial customers. It also provides real estate loans secured by residential property, such as one to four family residential housing units or commercial property comprising owner-occupied and/or investor income producing real estate consisting of apartments, shopping centers, and office buildings; commercial and industrial loans for various purposes, including inventory, receivables, and equipment, as well as equipment and leasehold improvement financing for franchisees; consumer loans comprising new and used vehicle loans, second mortgages on residential real estate, and unsecured loans; and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company offers commercial financing to the insurance industry, registered investment advisors, certified public accountants, indirect auto finance companies, and restaurant franchisees. Further, it provides a range of trust and wealth management services; lease and equipment financing services; and currency payments, foreign exchange hedging, and other advisory products. First Financial Bancorp. was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.