Colony Bankcorp (NASDAQ:CBAN – Get Free Report) and SouthState (NASDAQ:SSB – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, risk, earnings and dividends.
Volatility & Risk
Colony Bankcorp has a beta of 0.67, suggesting that its share price is 33% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SouthState has a beta of 0.74, suggesting that its share price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Colony Bankcorp and SouthState, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Colony Bankcorp | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| SouthState | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 3.08 |
Profitability
This table compares Colony Bankcorp and SouthState’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Colony Bankcorp | 13.51% | 9.64% | 0.85% |
| SouthState | 22.38% | 9.62% | 1.21% |
Dividends
Colony Bankcorp pays an annual dividend of $0.46 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. SouthState pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Colony Bankcorp pays out 29.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. SouthState pays out 35.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Colony Bankcorp has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years and SouthState has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Colony Bankcorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Colony Bankcorp and SouthState”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Colony Bankcorp | $121.88 million | 2.53 | $23.87 million | $1.58 | 11.17 |
| SouthState | $2.12 billion | 4.83 | $534.78 million | $6.71 | 15.07 |
SouthState has higher revenue and earnings than Colony Bankcorp. Colony Bankcorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than SouthState, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
50.4% of Colony Bankcorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.8% of SouthState shares are held by institutional investors. 6.6% of Colony Bankcorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of SouthState shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
SouthState beats Colony Bankcorp on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Colony Bankcorp
Colony Bankcorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Colony Bank that provides various banking products and services to commercial and consumer customers. The company offers deposit products, including demand, savings, and time deposits. It also provides loans to small and medium-sized businesses; residential and commercial construction, and land development loans; commercial real estate loans; commercial loans; agri-business and production loans; residential mortgage loans; home equity loans; and consumer loans. In addition, the company offers internet banking services, electronic bill payment services, safe deposit box rentals, telephone banking, credit and debit card services, and remote depository products, as well as access to a network of ATMs. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Fitzgerald, Georgia.
About SouthState
SouthState Corporation operates as the bank holding company for SouthState Bank, National Association that provides a range of banking services and products to individuals and companies. It offers checking accounts, savings deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, certificates of deposits, money market accounts, and other time deposits, as well as bond accounting, asset/liability consulting related activities, and other clearing and corporate checking account services. The company also offers commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans, commercial, and industrial loans, as well as consumer loans, including auto, boat, and personal installment, as well as business, agriculture, real estate-secured (mortgage), home improvement, and manufactured housing loans. In addition, it provides debit card, mobile services, funds transfer products and services, and treasury management services comprising merchant, automated clearing house, lock-box, remote deposit capture, and other treasury services, as well as asset and wealth management, and other fiduciary and private banking services. Further, the company offers safe deposit boxes, bank money orders, wire transfer, brokerage services, and alternative investment products, including annuities, mutual funds, and trust management services; and credit cards, letters of credit, and home equity lines of credit. The company also serves its customers through online, mobile, and telephone banking platforms. The company was formerly known as First Financial Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to SouthState Corporation in July 2013. SouthState Corporation was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida.
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