Head-To-Head Review: Ameris Bancorp (NYSE:ABCB) vs. Bank7 (NASDAQ:BSVN)

Bank7 (NASDAQ:BSVN) and Ameris Bancorp (NYSE:ABCB) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Bank7 and Ameris Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bank7	$137.26 million	4.59	$43.07 million	$4.30	13.64
Ameris Bancorp	$1.24 billion	4.47	$412.15 million	$5.72	14.43

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Bank7. Bank7 is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility & Risk

Bank7 has a beta of 0.74, meaning that its share price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Bank7 and Ameris Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bank7	0	1	4	0	2.80
Ameris Bancorp	0	4	4	0	2.50

Bank7 currently has a consensus price target of $64.33, suggesting a potential upside of 9.68%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus price target of $90.50, suggesting a potential upside of 9.61%. Given Bank7’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Bank7 is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares Bank7 and Ameris Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bank7	30.55%	15.96%	2.13%
Ameris Bancorp	22.47%	10.81%	1.57%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

23.5% of Bank7 shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 25.7% of Bank7 shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.7% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Bank7 pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Bank7 pays out 27.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Bank7 has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years. Bank7 is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Bank7 beats Ameris Bancorp on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bank7

Bank7 Corporation is the bank holding company for Bank7, a community bank headquartered in Oklahoma City. The bank provides commercial and consumer banking services, with a focus on businesses and business owners. Its offerings include business and personal deposit accounts, commercial lending, treasury management and online banking. Commercial financing includes loans for real estate, construction, equipment and general business needs. Bank7 serves customers through locations in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, as well as digital banking services.

About Ameris Bancorp

Ameris Bancorp is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Ameris Bank, provides banking and related financial services to individuals and businesses. Its offerings include deposit accounts, commercial and consumer loans, mortgage lending, digital banking and treasury management services. Founded in 1971, the company has grown through both organic expansion and acquisitions. Ameris Bank serves customers across the Southeastern United States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.