USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) and First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) Critical Comparison

First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) and USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and risk.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares First Citizens BancShares and USCB Financial”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Citizens BancShares	$14.51 billion	1.56	$2.21 billion	$165.72	11.45
USCB Financial	$159.60 million	2.10	$26.10 million	$1.30	14.09

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

Risk & Volatility

First Citizens BancShares has a beta of 0.68, indicating that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, USCB Financial has a beta of 0.6, indicating that its stock price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for First Citizens BancShares and USCB Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Citizens BancShares	1	5	6	1	2.54
USCB Financial	1	0	3	1	2.80

First Citizens BancShares currently has a consensus price target of $2,238.27, indicating a potential upside of 18.00%. USCB Financial has a consensus price target of $22.00, indicating a potential upside of 20.09%. Given USCB Financial’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe USCB Financial is more favorable than First Citizens BancShares.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

78.0% of First Citizens BancShares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.3% of USCB Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 13.4% of First Citizens BancShares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 49.5% of USCB Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares First Citizens BancShares and USCB Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Citizens BancShares	15.21%	11.18%	1.03%
USCB Financial	16.36%	14.86%	1.20%

Dividends

First Citizens BancShares pays an annual dividend of $8.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. USCB Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. First Citizens BancShares pays out 5.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. USCB Financial pays out 38.5% 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. First Citizens BancShares has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years and USCB Financial has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years.

Summary

USCB Financial beats First Citizens BancShares on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Citizens BancShares

First Citizens BancShares, Inc. operates as the holding company for First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, and professionals. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, money market, and time deposit accounts. Its loan product portfolio comprises commercial construction and mortgage; and commercial and industrial leases, as well as small business administration loans. In addition, the company offers consumer loans, such as residential and revolving mortgage, consumer auto, and other consumer loans. Further, it provides wealth management services, including annuities, brokerage services, and third-party mutual funds, as well as investment management and advisory services. The company provides its products and services through its branch network. First Citizens BancShares, Inc. was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

About USCB Financial

USCB Financial Holdings, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for U.S. Century Bank that engages in the provision of various personal and business banking products and services in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, including commercial and consumer checking, money market deposit, savings, and time deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also offers loan products, such as small business administration loans, yacht financing, residential and commercial real estate loans; commercial and industrial loans; foreign bank loans; and secured and unsecured consumer loans comprising personal loans, overdrafts, and deposit account collateralized loans. The company also offers lockbox, treasury, commercial payments, cash management, and online banking services, as well as provides title insurance policies for real estate transactions. USCB Financial Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.