Reviewing Swedbank (OTCMKTS:SWDBY) and Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY)

Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY) and Swedbank (OTCMKTS:SWDBY) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, earnings, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Bank Hapoalim and Swedbank”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bank Hapoalim	$10.95 billion	2.69	$2.08 billion	$9.89	11.33
Swedbank	$17.47 billion	2.30	$3.30 billion	SEK 2.89	12.34

Swedbank has higher revenue and earnings than Bank Hapoalim. Bank Hapoalim is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Swedbank, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Bank Hapoalim and Swedbank, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bank Hapoalim	0	1	0	0	2.00
Swedbank	3	3	0	1	1.86

Volatility and Risk

Bank Hapoalim has a beta of 1.16, indicating that its stock price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Swedbank has a beta of 0.66, indicating that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Bank Hapoalim pays an annual dividend of $3.82 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Swedbank pays an annual dividend of SEK 2.02 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.7%. Bank Hapoalim pays out 38.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Swedbank pays out 69.9% 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.

Profitability

This table compares Bank Hapoalim and Swedbank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bank Hapoalim	21.60%	14.60%	1.20%
Swedbank	26.30%	15.55%	1.06%

Summary

Swedbank beats Bank Hapoalim on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bank Hapoalim

Bank Hapoalim B.M., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking and financial products and services in Israel and internationally. It operates through Household, Private Banking, Small businesses and micro businesses, Mid-sized businesses, Large businesses, Institutional entities, and Financial management segments. The company offers account-management services, lending for various purposes, deposits, and savings plans, and capital-market service; housing loans; research and advisory services; and pension advisory and retirement planning services. It also provides products and services for the expansion of a business, advanced digital services, and a service center specializing in businesses; credit for routine operations and investment financing, guarantees, letters of credit, foreign trade, and transactions in financial and derivative instruments, as well as investment services in various channels, such as foreign currency, shekels, and securities. In addition, the company offers financial services, including foreign-trade financing, financing of working capital, financing of assets overseas, complex financing transactions, syndication, and credit-risk transfers; and financing of construction projects, granting credit to customers, and issuing guarantees to buyers of homes. Further, it provides managers of mutual funds, managers of investment portfolios, and managers of provident funds, study funds, and pension funds; trading activities; underwriting services; and brokerage and custody services. The company serves households, private-banking customers, foreign residents, small businesses, financial-asset managers, middle-market business clients, and large corporations. Bank Hapoalim B.M. was founded in 1921 and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

About Swedbank

Swedbank AB (publ) provides various banking products and services to private and corporate customers in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the United States, Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg, and China. The company operates through three business areas: Swedish Banking, Baltic Banking, and Corporates and Institutions. It offers savings accounts, mutual funds and insurance savings, pension savings, institutional asset management, and other savings and investment products; private residential lending, consumer financing, corporate lending, leasing, and other financing products, as well as trade finance and factoring services; and current accounts, cash handling, debit and credit cards, and card acquiring, as well as domestic, international, mobile, document, and other payment products. The company also provides equity trading, structured products, corporate finance, custody services, fixed income and currency trading, and other capital market products; and administrative services, treasury operations, real estate brokerage and management services, legal services, safe deposit boxes, and other services. In addition, it offers pension insurance and plan, life, endowment insurance, and personal insurance products; investment management, investment banking, and mortgage lending services; and transaction banking services comprising cash management, securities, account, and clearing and settlement services, as well as Internet and mobile banking services. The company was formerly known as ForeningsSparbanken AB and changed its name to Swedbank AB (publ) in September 2006. Swedbank AB (publ) was founded in 1820 and is headquartered in Sundbyberg, Sweden.