Comparing Chester Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CNBA) and Central Plains Bancshares (NASDAQ:CPBI)

Central Plains Bancshares (NASDAQ:CPBI) and Chester Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CNBA) 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, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

24.3% of Central Plains Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.6% of Central Plains Bancshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 38.8% of Chester Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Central Plains Bancshares and Chester Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Central Plains Bancshares	$27.31 million	2.54	$3.65 million	$0.97	16.96
Chester Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Central Plains Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than Chester Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares Central Plains Bancshares and Chester Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Central Plains Bancshares	12.78%	4.39%	0.72%
Chester Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

Central Plains Bancshares has a beta of 0.16, meaning that its stock price is 84% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Chester Bancorp has a beta of 0.41, meaning that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Central Plains Bancshares and Chester Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Central Plains Bancshares	0	1	0	0	2.00
Chester Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00

Summary

Central Plains Bancshares beats Chester Bancorp on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Central Plains Bancshares

Central Plains Bancshares, Inc. focuses on providing various banking products and services to retail customers, and small and medium-sized commercial customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers checking accounts, savings accounts, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company also provides one- to four-family residential mortgage loans secured by properties, as well as commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, multi-family residential real estate loans, construction and land development loans, agricultural real estate and non-real estate loans, and consumer loans. In addition, it offers electronic banking services, including mobile banking, on-line banking and bill pay, and electronic funds transfer. The company was incorporated in 2023 and is based in Grand Island, Nebraska.

About Chester Bancorp

Chester Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Chester National Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals and businesses in Chester, Illinois. It offers checking accounts, such as regular checking, student checking, golden checking, and club checking accounts; savings accounts, including statement savings, Christmas club, and money market accounts; and certificate of deposits and individual retirement accounts. The company also provides loans comprising mortgage, construction, lot, home equity, consumer, and business loans; and reorder check services. It operates two full service offices in Sparta, Illinois; and Perryville, Missouri. Chester Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is based in Chester, Illinois.