Head to Head Survey: Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) & Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF)

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, risk and earnings.

Volatility and Risk

Bank of America has a beta of 1.23, suggesting that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Stifel Financial has a beta of 1.1, suggesting that its stock price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Bank of America and Stifel Financial”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bank of America	$191.57 billion	2.01	$30.51 billion	$4.04	13.34
Stifel Financial	$5.53 billion	2.29	$683.78 million	$3.92	20.83

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Bank of America and Stifel Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bank of America	0	5	22	0	2.81
Stifel Financial	0	4	6	0	2.60

Bank of America presently has a consensus price target of $60.90, suggesting a potential upside of 13.01%. Stifel Financial has a consensus price target of $91.15, suggesting a potential upside of 11.60%. Given Bank of America’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Bank of America is more favorable than Stifel Financial.

Profitability

This table compares Bank of America and Stifel Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bank of America	16.78%	11.49%	0.93%
Stifel Financial	12.37%	15.53%	1.92%

Dividends

Bank of America pays an annual dividend of $1.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Stifel Financial pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. Bank of America pays out 27.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Stifel Financial pays out 34.7% 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. Bank of America has raised its dividend for 11 consecutive years and Stifel Financial has raised its dividend for 9 consecutive years. Bank of America is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

70.7% of Bank of America shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.0% of Stifel Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Bank of America shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.6% of Stifel Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Bank of America beats Stifel Financial on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. It operates in four segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, and Global Markets. The Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, non-interest and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; credit and debit cards; residential mortgages, and home equity loans; and direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans. The GWIM segment provides investment management, brokerage, banking, and trust and retirement products and services; wealth management solutions; and customized solutions, including specialty asset management services. The Global Banking segment offers lending products and services, including commercial loans, leases, commitment facilities, trade finance, and commercial real estate and asset-based lending; treasury solutions, such as treasury management, foreign exchange, short-term investing options, and merchant services; working capital management solutions; debt and equity underwriting and distribution, and merger-related and other advisory services; and fixed-income and equity research, and certain market-based services. The Global Markets segment provides market-making, financing, securities clearing, settlement, and custody services; securities and derivative products; and risk management products using interest rate, equity, credit, currency and commodity derivatives, foreign exchange, fixed-income, and mortgage-related products. Bank of America Corporation was founded in 1784 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

About Stifel Financial

Stifel Financial Corp., a financial services and bank holding company, provides retail and institutional wealth management, and investment banking services to individual investors, corporations, municipalities, and institutions in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Global Wealth Management, Institutional Group, and Other. The company provides private client services, including securities transaction and financial planning services; institutional equity and fixed income sales, trading and research, and municipal finance services; investment banking services, such as mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, and private placements; and retail and commercial banking services comprising personal and commercial lending programs, as well as deposit accounts. It participates in and manages underwritings for corporate and public finance; and offers financial advisory and securities brokerage services. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.