Contrasting Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) and Berkshire Bancorp (OTCMKTS:BERK)

Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) and Berkshire Bancorp (OTCMKTS:BERK) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and profitability.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

79.8% of Metropolitan Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.5% of Metropolitan Bank shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 70.4% of Berkshire Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Metropolitan Bank and Berkshire Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Metropolitan Bank	0	0	3	1	3.25
Berkshire Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00

Metropolitan Bank currently has a consensus target price of $92.00, indicating a potential upside of 2.38%. Given Metropolitan Bank’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Metropolitan Bank is more favorable than Berkshire Bancorp.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Metropolitan Bank and Berkshire Bancorp”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Metropolitan Bank	$527.15 million	2.12	$71.10 million	$6.65	13.51
Berkshire Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Metropolitan Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Berkshire Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares Metropolitan Bank and Berkshire Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Metropolitan Bank	13.49%	9.69%	0.89%
Berkshire Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Metropolitan Bank beats Berkshire Bancorp on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Metropolitan Bank

Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank that provides a range of business, commercial, and retail banking products and services to small businesses, middle-market enterprises, public entities, and individuals in the New York metropolitan area. The company offers checking, savings, term deposit, money market, demand deposit, and other interest-bearing transaction accounts. It also provides lending products, including commercial real estate, multi-family, construction, and one-to four-family real estate loans; commercial and industrial loans; consumer loans; acquisition and renovation loans; loans to refinance or return borrower equity; loans on owner-occupied properties; working capital lines of credit; trade finance and letters of credit; and term loans. In addition, the company offers cash management services, as well as online and mobile banking, ACH, remote deposit capture, and debit cards. The company was formerly known as Metbank Holding Corp. and changed its name to Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. in January 2007. Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Berkshire Bancorp

Berkshire Bancorp Inc. operates as the bank holding company for The Berkshire Bank that provides community banking services primarily to businesses, professionals, and retail customers. The company offers statement savings, NOW, money market deposit, and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also provides commercial and industrial, commercial and residential real estate, multi-family real estate, construction, and consumer loans, as well as mortgages and finance leasing services. In addition, the company offers ATM and debit cards; safe deposit boxes; bill pay, collection, remote deposit capture, and foreign exchange services; and mobile, telephone, and online banking services. It operates through two branches located in Manhattan; four branches located in Brooklyn, New York; four branches located in Orange and Sullivan Counties in New York State; and one branch located in Teaneck, New Jersey. Berkshire Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in New York, New York.