Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC – Get Free Report) and Freedom Financial (OTCMKTS:FDVA – Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations.
Profitability
This table compares Camden National and Freedom Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Camden National | 17.46% | 11.22% | 1.07% |
| Freedom Financial | 7.83% | 6.07% | 0.48% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent ratings for Camden National and Freedom Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Camden National | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2.20 |
| Freedom Financial | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
77.4% of Camden National shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of Camden National shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.3% of Freedom Financial shares are held 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.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Camden National and Freedom Financial”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Camden National | $248.29 million | 3.34 | $65.16 million | $3.84 | 12.78 |
| Freedom Financial | $63.61 million | 1.32 | $370,000.00 | $0.71 | 16.75 |
Camden National has higher revenue and earnings than Freedom Financial. Camden National is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Freedom Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Camden National has a beta of 0.58, indicating that its stock price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Freedom Financial has a beta of 0.08, indicating that its stock price is 92% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Camden National beats Freedom Financial on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Camden National
Camden National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Camden National Bank that provides various commercial and consumer banking products and services for consumer, institutional, municipal, non-profit, and commercial customers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The company accepts checking, savings, time, and brokered deposits, as well as deposits with the certificate of deposit account registry system. Its loan products include non-owner-occupied commercial estate loans, owner-occupied commercial real estate loans, unsecured fully-guaranteed commercial loans backed by the small business administration, loans secured by one-to four-family properties, and consumer and home equity loans. The company also provides brokerage and insurance services through its financial offerings consisting of college, retirement, estate planning, mutual funds, strategic asset management accounts, and variable and fixed annuities. Further, it offers a range of fiduciary and asset management, wealth management, investment management, financial planning, and trustee services. Camden National Corporation was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Camden, Maine.
About Freedom Financial
Freedom Financial Holdings, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for The Freedom Bank of Virginia that provides commercial banking, personal banking, and mortgage banking solutions. The company offers personal and business checking accounts, interest bearing business savings accounts, money market accounts, personal savings accounts, certificates of deposits, and IRAs, as well as insured cash sweep and certificate of deposit account registry services. It also provides business term, personal, and mortgage loans; commercial lines of credit; commercial real estate mortgage and small business lending services; home equity lines; and credit cards. In addition, the company offers treasury management, online and mobile banking, remote deposit capture, ACH, and wire transfer services; business valuation, bank-at-work, and merchant services; and prestige banking services. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.
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