Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU – Get Free Report) and Forge Global (NYSE:FRGE – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Community Financial System and Forge Global”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Community Financial System | $1.01 billion | 3.45 | $210.46 million | $3.97 | 16.67 |
| Forge Global | $79.33 million | 7.81 | -$66.33 million | ($5.20) | -8.60 |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Community Financial System and Forge Global, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Community Financial System | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Forge Global | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Community Financial System presently has a consensus price target of $64.00, indicating a potential downside of 3.29%. Forge Global has a consensus price target of $42.00, indicating a potential downside of 6.11%. Given Community Financial System’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Community Financial System is more favorable than Forge Global.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
73.8% of Community Financial System shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 40.7% of Forge Global shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Community Financial System shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.5% of Forge Global shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
This table compares Community Financial System and Forge Global’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Community Financial System | 20.82% | 11.09% | 1.26% |
| Forge Global | -71.87% | -29.06% | -24.63% |
Risk and Volatility
Community Financial System has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Forge Global has a beta of 2.18, suggesting that its share price is 118% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Community Financial System beats Forge Global on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Community Financial System
Community Bank System, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank, N.A. that provides various banking and other financial services to retail, commercial, institutional, and municipal customers. It operates through three segments: Banking, Employee Benefit Services, and All Other. The company offers various deposits products, such as interest and noninterest -bearing checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, as well as time deposits. It also provides loans, including consumer mortgages; general purpose commercial and industrial loans, and mortgages on commercial properties; paycheck protection program loans; installment loans that are originated through selected dealerships and are secured by automobiles, marine, and other recreational vehicles; personal installment loans and check credit lines of credit for consumers; and home equity products. In addition, the company offers broker-dealer and investment advisory; cash management, investment, and treasury services; asset management services; and employee benefit services, as well as operates as a full-service insurance agency that provides personal and commercial lines of insurance, and other risk management products and services. Further, it offers contribution plan administration, employee benefit trust, collective investment fund, retirement plan administration and benefit consulting, fund administration, transfer agency, actuarial and benefit consulting, and health and welfare consulting services; and act as an investor in residential and commercial real estate activities. Additionally, the company offers wealth management, retirement planning, higher educational planning, fiduciary, risk management, trust, and personal financial planning services; and investment alternatives, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and insurance and advisory products, as well as master recordkeeping services. Community Bank System, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in DeWitt, New York.
About Forge Global
Forge Global Holdings, Inc. operates a financial services platform in California. The company's platform solutions include trading solutions, a platform that connects investors with private company stockholders and enables them to facilitate private share transactions; and custody solutions, a non-depository trust company that enables clients to securely custody and manage assets through an online portal. It also provides data solutions, such as information and insight to navigate, analyze, and make investment decisions to market participants in the private market. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
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