Contrasting Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ:EGBN) and Pioneer Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBFS)

Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ:EGBN) and Pioneer Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBFS) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Eagle Bancorp and Pioneer Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Eagle Bancorp	-4.60%	-2.54%	-0.28%
Pioneer Bancorp	18.33%	7.07%	1.07%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Eagle Bancorp and Pioneer Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Eagle Bancorp	0	3	1	0	2.25
Pioneer Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00

Eagle Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $21.00, indicating a potential upside of 15.89%. Given Eagle Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Eagle Bancorp is more favorable than Pioneer Bancorp.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Eagle Bancorp and Pioneer Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Eagle Bancorp	$707.50 million	0.78	-$47.03 million	($1.02)	-17.76
Pioneer Bancorp	$79.44 million	4.24	$15.26 million	$0.87	14.98

Pioneer Bancorp has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Eagle Bancorp. Eagle Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Pioneer Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Eagle Bancorp has a beta of 1.07, indicating that its stock price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Pioneer Bancorp has a beta of 0.37, indicating that its stock price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

78.0% of Eagle Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.4% of Eagle Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.5% of Pioneer Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

About Eagle Bancorp

Eagle Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for EagleBank that provides commercial and consumer banking services primarily in the United States. The company also offers various commercial and consumer lending products comprising commercial loans for working capital, equipment purchases, real estate lines of credit, and government contract financing; asset based lending and accounts receivable financing; construction and commercial real estate loans; business equipment financing; consumer home equity lines of credit, personal lines of credit, and term loans; consumer installment loans, such as auto and personal loans; personal credit cards; and residential mortgage loans. In addition, it provides online and mobile banking services; checking and saving accounts; and other deposit services, including cash management services, business sweep accounts, lock boxes, remote deposit captures, account reconciliation services, merchant card services, safety deposit boxes, and automated clearing house origination, as well as after-hours depositories and ATM services. Further, the company offers insurance products and services through a referral program; and treasury management services. The company serves sole proprietors, small and medium-sized businesses, partnerships, corporations, and non-profit organizations and associations, as well as investors. Eagle Bancorp, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

About Pioneer Bancorp

Pioneer Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Pioneer Savings Bank that provides various banking products and services in New York. The company accepts various deposit products, such as demand, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts. Its loan products include commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, commercial construction, residential mortgage lending, consumer loans, and home equity lines of credit. The company also invests in the U.S. governmental securities, fixed rate collateralized mortgage obligations, mortgage-backed securities, fixed-rate investment grade bonds, and equity securities. In addition, the company offers personal and commercial insurance products, including homeowners, automobile, and comprehensive business insurance; employee benefit products and services, such as group health, dental, disability, and life insurance products, as well as defined contribution, defined benefit administration, and human resource management services; and wealth management services comprising investment advice, retirement income planning, estate planning, business succession, and employer retirement planning. The company was founded in 1889 and is based in Albany, New York. Pioneer Bancorp, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Pioneer Bancorp, MHC.