Financial Analysis: Central Plains Bancshares (NASDAQ:CPBI) versus First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF)

First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF) and Central Plains Bancshares (NASDAQ:CPBI) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares First Financial Corporation Indiana and Central Plains Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Financial Corporation Indiana	21.70%	12.70%	1.32%
Central Plains Bancshares	12.78%	4.39%	0.72%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for First Financial Corporation Indiana and Central Plains Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Financial Corporation Indiana	0	2	2	1	2.80
Central Plains Bancshares	0	1	0	0	2.00

First Financial Corporation Indiana presently has a consensus price target of $60.00, suggesting a potential downside of 1.72%. Given First Financial Corporation Indiana’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First Financial Corporation Indiana is more favorable than Central Plains Bancshares.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

72.7% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.3% of Central Plains Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.0% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.6% of Central Plains Bancshares shares are owned 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.

Volatility & Risk

First Financial Corporation Indiana has a beta of 0.42, indicating that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Central Plains Bancshares has a beta of 0.13, indicating that its share price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares First Financial Corporation Indiana and Central Plains Bancshares”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Financial Corporation Indiana	$307.51 million	2.35	$47.28 million	$6.24	9.78
Central Plains Bancshares	$27.31 million	2.63	$3.65 million	$0.97	17.58

First Financial Corporation Indiana has higher revenue and earnings than Central Plains Bancshares. First Financial Corporation Indiana is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Central Plains Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

First Financial Corporation Indiana beats Central Plains Bancshares on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Financial Corporation Indiana

First Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial services. The company offers non-interest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, savings, time, and other time deposits. It also provides commercial loans primarily to expand a business or finance asset purchases; residential real estate and residential real estate construction loans; and home equity loans and lines, secured loans, and cash/CD secured and unsecured loans. In addition, the company offers lease financing, trust account, depositor, and insurance services. The company was founded in 1834 and is headquartered in Terre Haute, Indiana.

About Central Plains Bancshares

Central Plains Bancshares, Inc. focuses on providing various banking products and services to retail customers, and small and medium-sized commercial customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers checking accounts, savings accounts, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company also provides one- to four-family residential mortgage loans secured by properties, as well as commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, multi-family residential real estate loans, construction and land development loans, agricultural real estate and non-real estate loans, and consumer loans. In addition, it offers electronic banking services, including mobile banking, on-line banking and bill pay, and electronic funds transfer. The company was incorporated in 2023 and is based in Grand Island, Nebraska.