Pioneer Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBFS – Get Free Report) and Hanover Bancorp (NASDAQ:HNVR – Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership and risk.
Profitability
This table compares Pioneer Bancorp and Hanover Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Pioneer Bancorp | 16.02% | 6.43% | 0.95% |
| Hanover Bancorp | 5.22% | 5.18% | 0.43% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
15.0% of Hanover Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.5% of Pioneer Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 24.8% of Hanover Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Ratings
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Pioneer Bancorp | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Hanover Bancorp | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Hanover Bancorp has a consensus price target of $24.33, indicating a potential upside of 8.29%. Given Hanover Bancorp’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Hanover Bancorp is more favorable than Pioneer Bancorp.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Pioneer Bancorp and Hanover Bancorp”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Pioneer Bancorp | $31.81 million | 11.36 | $6.45 million | $0.80 | 18.01 |
| Hanover Bancorp | $143.32 million | 1.12 | $7.49 million | $1.00 | 22.47 |
Hanover Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Pioneer Bancorp. Pioneer Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hanover Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Pioneer Bancorp has a beta of 0.43, meaning that its share price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hanover Bancorp has a beta of 0.04, meaning that its share price is 96% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Hanover Bancorp beats Pioneer Bancorp on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Pioneer Bancorp
Pioneer Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Pioneer Savings Bank that provides various banking products and services in New York. The company accepts various deposit products, such as demand, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts. Its loan products include commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, commercial construction, residential mortgage lending, consumer loans, and home equity lines of credit. The company also invests in the U.S. governmental securities, fixed rate collateralized mortgage obligations, mortgage-backed securities, fixed-rate investment grade bonds, and equity securities. In addition, the company offers personal and commercial insurance products, including homeowners, automobile, and comprehensive business insurance; employee benefit products and services, such as group health, dental, disability, and life insurance products, as well as defined contribution, defined benefit administration, and human resource management services; and wealth management services comprising investment advice, retirement income planning, estate planning, business succession, and employer retirement planning. The company was founded in 1889 and is based in Albany, New York. Pioneer Bancorp, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Pioneer Bancorp, MHC.
About Hanover Bancorp
Hanover Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company for Hanover Community Bank, provides personal and business lending and deposit services to businesses, municipalities, and individuals in the New York metro area. The company offers checking, credit cards, debit cards, money market, savings, government and municipal banking, and professional services, as well as time deposits, including certificate of deposit and individual retirement accounts. It also provides business loans, commercial real estate financing, small business administration, lending directory services, and residential mortgage. In addition, the company offers cash management, online and mobile banking, merchant services, and digital solutions. Its banking offices are located in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Kings, New York Counties, New York, Monmouth County, Freehold, and New Jersey. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Mineola, New York.
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