Contrasting Amerant Bancorp (NASDAQ:AMTB) and Susquehanna Bancshares (NASDAQ:SUSQ)

Amerant Bancorp (NASDAQ:AMTB) and Susquehanna Bancshares (NASDAQ:SUSQ) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Amerant Bancorp and Susquehanna Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Amerant Bancorp	-8.38%	6.36%	0.51%
Susquehanna Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Amerant Bancorp and Susquehanna Bancshares”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Amerant Bancorp	$330.31 million	2.51	-$15.75 million	($0.20)	-99.35
Susquehanna Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Susquehanna Bancshares has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Amerant Bancorp.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Amerant Bancorp and Susquehanna Bancshares, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Amerant Bancorp	0	2	2	0	2.50
Susquehanna Bancshares	0	0	0	0	0.00

Amerant Bancorp presently has a consensus target price of $24.25, indicating a potential upside of 22.04%. Given Amerant Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Amerant Bancorp is more favorable than Susquehanna Bancshares.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

42.1% of Amerant Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 5.4% of Amerant Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Amerant Bancorp beats Susquehanna Bancshares on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Amerant Bancorp

Amerant Bancorp Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Amerant Bank, N.A. that provides banking products and services to individuals and businesses in the United States and internationally. It offers checking, savings, business, and money market accounts; cash management services; and certificates of deposits. The company also provides variable and fixed rate commercial real estate loans; owner-occupied; single-family residential; commercial; and consumer loans and overdrafts, such as automobile, personal, or loans secured by cash or securities and revolving credit card agreements. In addition, it offers trust and estate planning products and services to high-net-worth customers, brokerage and investment advisory services in global capital markets, and wealth management and fiduciary services. Further, the company provides debit and credit cards, night depositories, direct deposits, cashier's checks, safe deposit boxes, letters of credit, and treasury management services, including wire transfer, remote deposit capture, and automated clearinghouse services; derivative instruments; and online and mobile banking, account balances, statements and other documents, online transfers and bill payment, and electronic delivery of customer statements services, as well as automated teller machines, and banking by mobile devices, telephone, and mail. It operates banking centers in Florida and Texas. The company was formerly known as Mercantil Bank Holding Corporation and changed its name to Amerant Bancorp Inc. in June 2019. Amerant Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.

About Susquehanna Bancshares

Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company conducts its business operations primarily through its commercial bank subsidiary, Susquehanna Bank, and other subsidiaries in the mid-Atlantic region to provide a range of retail and commercial banking and financial products and services. It provides a range of retail banking services, including checking, savings and club accounts, check cards, debit cards, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, home equity lines of credit, residential mortgage loans, home improvement loans, automobile loans, personal loans, and internet and mobile banking services. It also provides a range of commercial banking services, including business checking accounts, cash management services, money market accounts, land acquisition and development loans, commercial loans, floor plan, equipment and working capital lines of credit, small business loans and internet banking services.