Head-To-Head Survey: Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK) versus Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC)

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) and Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and profitability.

Dividends

Banco Santander Chile pays an annual dividend of $1.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Landmark Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Banco Santander Chile pays out 42.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Landmark Bancorp pays out 25.5% 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. Landmark Bancorp has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

6.4% of Banco Santander Chile shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 25.7% of Landmark Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 9.8% of Landmark Bancorp shares are held by 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 and Earnings

This table compares Banco Santander Chile and Landmark Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Banco Santander Chile	$4.50 billion	3.61	$1.12 billion	$2.62	13.18
Landmark Bancorp	$95.97 million	2.04	$18.77 million	$3.29	9.74

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Banco Santander Chile and Landmark Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Banco Santander Chile	1	4	3	1	2.44
Landmark Bancorp	0	1	1	0	2.50

Banco Santander Chile currently has a consensus price target of $35.40, suggesting a potential upside of 2.49%. Given Banco Santander Chile’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Banco Santander Chile is more favorable than Landmark Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares Banco Santander Chile and Landmark Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Banco Santander Chile	27.04%	22.94%	1.70%
Landmark Bancorp	20.56%	12.49%	1.25%

Volatility & Risk

Banco Santander Chile has a beta of 0.51, indicating that its share price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Landmark Bancorp has a beta of 0.39, indicating that its share price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Banco Santander Chile beats Landmark Bancorp on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Banco Santander Chile

Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency-denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services. It also provides mutual fund management, insurance and securities brokerage, foreign exchange services, financial leasing, financial consulting and advisory, investment management, foreign trade, leasing, factoring, treasury, and transactional services, as well as specialized services to finance residential projects. In addition, the company offers short-term financing and fundraising, and brokerage services, as well as derivatives, securitization, and other products; and manages capital allocations. It serves individuals, small to middle-sized entities, companies, and large corporations, as well as universities, government entities, and local and regional governments. The company was incorporated in 1977 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile. Banco Santander-Chile operates as a subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A.

About Landmark Bancorp

Landmark Bancorp, Inc. operates as the financial holding company for Landmark National Bank that provides various financial and banking services to its local communities. It offers non-interest bearing demand, money market, checking, and savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides one-to-four family residential real estate, construction and land, commercial real estate, commercial, paycheck protection program, municipal, and agriculture loans; and consumer and other loans, such as automobile, boat, and home improvement and home equity loans, as well as insurance, and mobile and online banking services. In addition, the company invests in certain investment and mortgage-related securities. It operates in the eastern, central, southeast, and southwest Kansas. The company was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas.