Contrasting Itau Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) and Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK)

Itau Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) and Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Itau Unibanco and Landmark Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Itau Unibanco	26.41%	21.40%	1.53%
Landmark Bancorp	20.56%	12.49%	1.25%

Dividends

Itau Unibanco pays an annual dividend of $0.03 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Landmark Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Itau Unibanco pays out 3.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Landmark Bancorp pays out 25.5% 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. Landmark Bancorp has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years. Landmark Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Itau Unibanco and Landmark Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Itau Unibanco	0	2	3	0	2.60
Landmark Bancorp	0	1	0	1	3.00

Itau Unibanco currently has a consensus price target of $9.87, indicating a potential upside of 3.97%. Given Itau Unibanco’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Itau Unibanco is more favorable than Landmark Bancorp.

Risk and Volatility

Itau Unibanco has a beta of 0.5, suggesting that its share price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Landmark Bancorp has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its share price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

25.7% of Landmark Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Itau Unibanco shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 9.8% of Landmark Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Itau Unibanco and Landmark Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Itau Unibanco	$30.04 billion	3.50	$8.03 billion	$0.76	12.49
Landmark Bancorp	$95.97 million	2.10	$18.77 million	$3.29	10.02

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

Summary

Itau Unibanco beats Landmark Bancorp on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Itau Unibanco

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. offers a range of financial products and services to individuals and corporate customers in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, and Activities with the Market + Corporation. It offers current account; loans; credit and debit cards; investment and commercial banking services; real estate lending services; financing and investment services; economic, financial and brokerage advisory; and leasing and foreign exchange services. The company also provides property and casualty insurance products covering loss, damage, or liabilities for assets or persons, as well as life insurance products covering death and personal accident. It serves retail customers, account and non-account holders, individuals and legal entities, high income clients, microenterprises, and small companies, as well as middle-market companies and high net worth clients. The company was formerly known as Itaú Unibanco Banco Múltiplo S.A. and changed its name to Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. in April 2009. The company was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. operates as a subsidiary of IUPAR – Itaú Unibanco Participações S.A.

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.