Analyzing Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) and Republic First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FRBK)

Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) and Republic First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FRBK) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, risk, dividends and earnings.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Hancock Whitney and Republic First Bancorp’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hancock Whitney	$1.91 billion	2.08	$392.60 million	$4.29	10.69
Republic First Bancorp	$180.55 million	0.01	$25.18 million	N/A	N/A

Hancock Whitney has higher revenue and earnings than Republic First Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares Hancock Whitney and Republic First Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hancock Whitney	19.07%	11.89%	1.22%
Republic First Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility & Risk

Hancock Whitney has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Republic First Bancorp has a beta of 0.16, indicating that its share price is 84% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Hancock Whitney and Republic First Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hancock Whitney	0	3	4	0	2.57
Republic First Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A

Hancock Whitney currently has a consensus target price of $50.71, suggesting a potential upside of 11.24%. Given Hancock Whitney’s higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Hancock Whitney is more favorable than Republic First Bancorp.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

81.2% of Hancock Whitney shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 8.9% of Republic First Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.1% of Hancock Whitney shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 14.4% of Republic First Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Hancock Whitney beats Republic First Bancorp on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hancock Whitney

Hancock Whitney Corporation operates as the financial holding company for Hancock Whitney Bank that provides traditional and online banking services to commercial, small business, and retail customers. It offers various transaction and savings deposit products consisting of brokered deposits, time deposits, and money market accounts; treasury management services, secured and unsecured loan products including revolving credit facilities, and letters of credit and similar financial guarantees; and trust and investment management services to retirement plans, corporations, and individuals, and investment advisory and brokerage products. The company also provides commercial and industrial loans including real and non-real estate loans; construction and land development loans; and residential mortgages, as well as consumer loans. In addition, it offers commercial finance products to middle market and corporate clients, including leases and related structures; facilitates investments in new market tax credit activities and holding certain foreclosed assets; provides customers access to fixed annuity and life insurance products; and underwriting transactions products, as well as debt and mortgage-related securities. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi.

About Republic First Bancorp

Republic First Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Republic First Bank that provides a range of credit and depository banking products and services to individuals and businesses. It accepts consumer and commercial deposit, checking, interest-bearing demand, money market, savings, sweep, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also offers secured and unsecured commercial, real estate, construction and land development, automobile, and home improvement loans; mortgages, home equity and overdraft lines of credit, and other products; and lockbox services. Republic First Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.