Analyzing Heartland BancCorp. (OTCMKTS:HLAN) and First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF)

First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF) and Heartland BancCorp. (OTCMKTS:HLAN) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

72.7% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.5% of Heartland BancCorp. shares are held by institutional investors. 3.7% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 22.7% of Heartland BancCorp. shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings for First Financial Corporation Indiana and Heartland BancCorp., as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Financial Corporation Indiana	0	3	2	0	2.40
Heartland BancCorp.	0	0	0	0	0.00

First Financial Corporation Indiana presently has a consensus price target of $60.00, suggesting a potential downside of 10.49%. Given First Financial Corporation Indiana’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe First Financial Corporation Indiana is more favorable than Heartland BancCorp..

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares First Financial Corporation Indiana and Heartland BancCorp.”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Financial Corporation Indiana	$347.56 million	2.29	$79.21 million	$6.68	10.03
Heartland BancCorp.	$119.21 million	2.74	$20.26 million	$9.76	16.39

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

Profitability

This table compares First Financial Corporation Indiana and Heartland BancCorp.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Financial Corporation Indiana	22.79%	13.34%	1.41%
Heartland BancCorp.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

First Financial Corporation Indiana beats Heartland BancCorp. on 9 of the 13 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 Heartland BancCorp.

Heartland BancCorp operates as the bank holding company for Heartland Bank that provides various banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers. The company offers personal and business checking and savings accounts. It also provides various lending solutions comprising agricultural loans, commercial and business lending, home and personal loans, and title services. In addition, the company offers online banking, treasury management, credit and debit card, and mobile wallet services. Further, it provides education planning, insurance, wealth management, and retirement planning services. Heartland BancCorp was founded in 1911 and is based in Whitehall, Ohio.