Analyzing First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF) & Grupo Supervielle (NYSE:SUPV)

Grupo Supervielle (NYSE:SUPV) and First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

72.7% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.0% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Grupo Supervielle and First Financial Corporation Indiana”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Grupo Supervielle	$1.65 billion	0.44	-$38.87 million	($0.63)	-13.26
First Financial Corporation Indiana	$347.56 million	2.63	$79.21 million	$7.14	10.77

First Financial Corporation Indiana has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Grupo Supervielle. Grupo Supervielle is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Financial Corporation Indiana, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Grupo Supervielle and First Financial Corporation Indiana, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Grupo Supervielle	1	4	2	0	2.14
First Financial Corporation Indiana	0	4	0	1	2.40

Grupo Supervielle presently has a consensus target price of $13.17, indicating a potential upside of 57.67%. First Financial Corporation Indiana has a consensus target price of $88.00, indicating a potential upside of 14.48%. Given Grupo Supervielle’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Grupo Supervielle is more favorable than First Financial Corporation Indiana.

Risk and Volatility

Grupo Supervielle has a beta of 1.55, suggesting that its stock price is 55% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Financial Corporation Indiana has a beta of 0.41, suggesting that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Grupo Supervielle and First Financial Corporation Indiana’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Grupo Supervielle	-3.60%	-2.67%	-0.35%
First Financial Corporation Indiana	23.32%	13.02%	1.43%

Summary

First Financial Corporation Indiana beats Grupo Supervielle on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Grupo Supervielle

Grupo Supervielle S.A., a financial services holding company, provides various banking products and services in Argentina. The company operates through Personal & Business Banking, Corporate Banking, Bank Treasury, Consumer Finance, Insurance, and Asset Management and Other Services segments. It offers savings accounts, time and demand deposits, and checking accounts; various loan products, including personal, consumer, mortgage, unsecured, and car loans; overdrafts; loans with special facilities for project and working capital financing; and leasing, bank guarantees for tenants, salary advances, domestic and international factoring, international guarantees and letters of credit, payroll payment plans, credit and debit cards, and senior citizens benefit payment services, as well as financial services and investments, such as mutual funds and guarantees. The company also provides foreign trade and cash management; advisory services; treasury services; insurance products comprising life, home, personal accidents, technology, ATMs, protected bag, and protected content; and asset management and other services, as well as operates as a digital online broker. It operates through a network of bank branches, ATMs, and self-service terminals, as well as ATMs with biometric identification. The company was formerly known as Inversiones y Participaciones S.A. and changed its name to Grupo Supervielle S.A. in November 2008. Grupo Supervielle S.A. was founded in 1887 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

About First Financial Corporation Indiana

First Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial services. The company offers non-interest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, savings, time, and other time deposits. It also provides commercial loans primarily to expand a business or finance asset purchases; residential real estate and residential real estate construction loans; and home equity loans and lines, secured loans, and cash/CD secured and unsecured loans. In addition, the company offers lease financing, trust account, depositor, and insurance services. The company was founded in 1834 and is headquartered in Terre Haute, Indiana.