1st Capital Bancorp (OTCMKTS:FISB) versus Amerant Bancorp (NYSE:AMTB) Financial Comparison

Amerant Bancorp (NYSE:AMTB) and 1st Capital Bancorp (OTCMKTS:FISB) are both small-cap financial services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, profitability and risk.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Amerant Bancorp and 1st Capital Bancorp”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	2.35	-$15.75 million	($0.20)	-92.85
1st Capital Bancorp	$41.09 million	1.91	$3.54 million	N/A	N/A

1st Capital Bancorp has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Amerant Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares Amerant Bancorp and 1st Capital Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Amerant Bancorp	0.60%	7.12%	0.63%
1st Capital Bancorp	8.20%	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

Amerant Bancorp has a beta of 1.3, meaning that its share price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, 1st Capital Bancorp has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

42.1% of Amerant Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 8.1% of 1st Capital Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 5.4% of Amerant Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Amerant Bancorp and 1st Capital Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Amerant Bancorp	1	0	0	0	1.00
1st Capital Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00

Summary

Amerant Bancorp beats 1st Capital Bancorp on 8 of the 11 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. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; and certificates of deposits. It also provides variable and fixed rate commercial real estate loans; loans secured by owner-occupied properties; loans to domestic and foreign individuals primarily secured by personal residence; working capital loans, asset-based lending, participations in shared national credits, purchased receivables, and small business administration loans; loans to financial institutions and acceptances; and consumer loans and overdrafts, such as automobile, personal, or loans secured by cash or securities and revolving credit card agreements. In addition, the company 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, it 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. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 24 banking centers comprising 17 in Florida and 7 in Texas. It also operates loan production offices in Tampa, Florida. 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 1st Capital Bancorp

1st Capital Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for 1st Capital Bank that provides various banking products and services for businesses, professionals, real estate investors, family commercial entities, and individuals in the Central Coast region of California. It offers checking, saving, money market, savings, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as individual retirement and health savings accounts; and other services including debit cards, check orders, and cannabis banking services. The company also provides lending services, which includes business, agriculture, and wine industry lending; commercial real estate and personal loans; and small business administration loans, and government guaranteed lending solutions. In addition, it offers electronic banking services including online services, such as personal and business online banking; and cash management services comprising ACH origination, online wire transfer, positive pay, merchant card, and remote deposit capture services. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Salinas, California.