Analyzing Macro Bank (NYSE:BMA) and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF)

Macro Bank (NYSE:BMA) and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings and dividends.

Dividends

Macro Bank pays an annual dividend of $3.67 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Macro Bank pays out 80.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida pays out 44.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Macro Bank and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Macro Bank	1	2	4	0	2.43
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	0	2	3	0	2.60

Macro Bank currently has a consensus price target of $101.25, indicating a potential upside of 75.57%. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a consensus price target of $36.50, indicating a potential upside of 6.98%. Given Macro Bank’s higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Macro Bank is more favorable than Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

81.8% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are owned by institutional investors. 18.3% of Macro Bank shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Macro Bank has a beta of 1.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a beta of 0.88, meaning that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Macro Bank and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Macro Bank	$4.72 billion	0.78	$231.60 million	$4.57	12.62
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	$935.52 million	3.53	$144.88 million	$1.70	20.07

Macro Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida. Macro Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Macro Bank and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Macro Bank	5.95%	8.65%	2.04%
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	16.27%	9.49%	1.21%

Summary

Macro Bank beats Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Macro Bank

Macro Bank, formally Banco Macro S.A., is an Argentine financial services company that provides banking products to individuals, businesses and other organizations. Its services include deposit accounts, personal and commercial loans, credit and debit cards, and digital banking, as well as cash-management and other banking services for businesses. The company serves customers across Argentina through its banking network and online channels. Its history dates to 1976, when it began as a financial institution before expanding into commercial banking.

About Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Seacoast National Bank, provides banking and related financial services. The company serves individuals, businesses and organizations, with offerings that include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage services, cash management and wealth management. Founded in 1926, Seacoast has grown from its roots in Stuart, Florida, and serves communities across the state through branches and digital banking services.