Critical Review: Kentucky First Federal Bancorp (NASDAQ:KFFB) vs. Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK)

Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK) and Kentucky First Federal Bancorp (NASDAQ:KFFB) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Landmark Bancorp and Kentucky First Federal Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Landmark Bancorp	19.56%	12.61%	1.17%
Kentucky First Federal Bancorp	4.04%	1.71%	0.22%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Landmark Bancorp and Kentucky First Federal Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Landmark Bancorp	0	1	0	0	2.00
Kentucky First Federal Bancorp	0	1	0	0	2.00

Institutional and Insider Ownership

25.7% of Landmark Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 3.2% of Kentucky First Federal Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 12.8% of Landmark Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of Kentucky First Federal Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Landmark Bancorp and Kentucky First Federal Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Landmark Bancorp	$95.97 million	1.51	$18.77 million	$3.07	7.78
Kentucky First Federal Bancorp	$19.74 million	1.79	$180,000.00	$0.10	43.75

Landmark Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Kentucky First Federal Bancorp. Landmark Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kentucky First Federal Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Landmark Bancorp has a beta of 0.29, meaning that its stock price is 71% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kentucky First Federal Bancorp has a beta of 0.1, meaning that its stock price is 90% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Landmark Bancorp beats Kentucky First Federal Bancorp on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Landmark Bancorp

Landmark Bancorp, Inc. operates as the financial holding company for Landmark National Bank that provides various financial and banking services to its local communities. It offers non-interest bearing demand, money market, checking, and savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides one-to-four family residential real estate, construction and land, commercial real estate, commercial, paycheck protection program, municipal, and agriculture loans; and consumer and other loans, such as automobile, boat, and home improvement and home equity loans, as well as insurance, and mobile and online banking services. In addition, the company invests in certain investment and mortgage-related securities. It operates in the eastern, central, southeast, and southwest Kansas. The company was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas.

About Kentucky First Federal Bancorp

Kentucky First Federal Bancorp operates as the holding company for First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Hazard, and Frankfort First Bancorp, Inc. that provide various banking products and services in Kentucky. It accepts deposit products include passbook savings and certificate accounts, checking accounts, and individual retirement accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises one-to four-family residential mortgage loans; construction loans; mortgage loans secured by multi-family property; nonresidential loans that are secured by commercial office buildings, churches, and properties used for other purposes; commercial non-mortgage loans; and consumer loans, such as home equity lines of credit, loans secured by savings deposits, automobile loans, and unsecured or personal loans. It also invests in mortgage-backed securities. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Hazard, Kentucky. Kentucky First Federal Bancorp is a subsidiary of First Federal MHC.