Pioneer Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBFS) versus Carter Bankshares (NASDAQ:CARE) Head-To-Head Survey

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

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Pioneer Bancorp and Carter Bankshares”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Pioneer Bancorp	$31.81 million	11.60	$6.45 million	$0.80	18.39
Carter Bankshares	$243.10 million	1.82	$24.27 million	$1.36	14.69

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

Volatility & Risk

Pioneer Bancorp has a beta of 0.45, indicating that its stock price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Carter Bankshares has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Pioneer Bancorp and Carter Bankshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Pioneer Bancorp	16.17%	6.38%	0.95%
Carter Bankshares	12.37%	7.65%	0.65%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Pioneer Bancorp and Carter Bankshares, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Pioneer Bancorp	0	1	0	0	2.00
Carter Bankshares	1	1	1	0	2.00

Carter Bankshares has a consensus price target of $22.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.11%. Given Carter Bankshares’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Carter Bankshares is more favorable than Pioneer Bancorp.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

41.5% of Carter Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. 2.5% of Pioneer Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Carter Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Carter Bankshares beats Pioneer Bancorp on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About Carter Bankshares

Carter Bankshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Carter Bank & Trust that provides various banking products and services in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, retirement, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposits. The company also offers commercial loans comprising secured and unsecured loans; consumer loans, such as secured and unsecured loans for financing automobiles, home improvements, education, overdraft protection, and personal investments, as well as residential mortgages; real estate construction, acquisition, commercial, and industrial loans; home equity lines of credit; and credit cards, as well as originates and holds fixed and variable rate mortgage loans. In addition, it provides other banking services that include safe deposit boxes, direct deposit of payroll, and social security checks; online banking products, including online and mobile banking, online account opening, bill pay, e-statement, mobile deposit, digital wallet, and ATM services; title insurance and other financial institution-related products and services; and treasury and corporate cash management services. Carter Bankshares, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Martinsville, Virginia.