Head-To-Head Comparison: AmeriServ Financial (ASRV) and Its Competitors

AmeriServ Financial (NASDAQ:ASRV) is one of 131 public companies in the “BANKS – NORTHEAST” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its rivals? We will compare AmeriServ Financial to similar companies based on the strength of its earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and dividends.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

31.5% of AmeriServ Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.6% of shares of all “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies are owned by institutional investors. 7.6% of AmeriServ Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 10.1% of shares of all “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares AmeriServ Financial and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AmeriServ Financial	6.20%	4.78%	0.38%
AmeriServ Financial Competitors	15.09%	9.32%	0.98%

Dividends

AmeriServ Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. AmeriServ Financial pays out 36.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.4% and pay out 29.8% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Risk and Volatility

AmeriServ Financial has a beta of 0.44, indicating that its stock price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AmeriServ Financial’s rivals have a beta of 0.48, indicating that their average stock price is 52% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares AmeriServ Financial and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
AmeriServ Financial	$88.34 million	$5.61 million	11.79
AmeriServ Financial Competitors	$481.90 million	$72.56 million	5.07

AmeriServ Financial’s rivals have higher revenue and earnings than AmeriServ Financial. AmeriServ Financial is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for AmeriServ Financial and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AmeriServ Financial	0	0	1	0	3.00
AmeriServ Financial Competitors	683	3251	2550	168	2.33

As a group, “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies have a potential upside of 8.01%. Given AmeriServ Financial’s rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe AmeriServ Financial has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Summary

AmeriServ Financial rivals beat AmeriServ Financial on 11 of the 15 factors compared.

About AmeriServ Financial

AmeriServ Financial, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of consumer, mortgage and commercial financial products and services through its subsidiary. It operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Investment or Parent. The Community Banking segment includes both retail and commercial banking activities. The Wealth Management segment involves in the operations of a Trust Company, West Chester Capital Advisors an investment advisory firm, and Financial Services. The Investment or Parent segment offers investment securities, borrowing activities, and general corporate expenses. The company was founded in January 1983 and is headquartered in Johnstown, PA.