Head-To-Head Review: UniCredit (OTCMKTS:UNCFF) & Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG)

Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG) and UniCredit (OTCMKTS:UNCFF) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

3.3% of Mizuho Financial Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.0% of Mizuho Financial Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Mizuho Financial Group and UniCredit’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mizuho Financial Group	16.35%	11.90%	0.46%
UniCredit	27.51%	16.29%	1.30%

Risk & Volatility

Mizuho Financial Group has a beta of 0.46, meaning that its stock price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, UniCredit has a beta of 0.84, meaning that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Mizuho Financial Group and UniCredit”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mizuho Financial Group	$60.35 billion	2.18	$7.64 billion	$0.76	13.99
UniCredit	$41.32 billion	3.43	$12.35 billion	N/A	N/A

UniCredit has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Mizuho Financial Group.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Mizuho Financial Group and UniCredit, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mizuho Financial Group	0	1	1	0	2.50
UniCredit	0	0	0	0	0.00

Summary

UniCredit beats Mizuho Financial Group on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Mizuho Financial Group

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in banking, trust, securities, and other businesses related to financial services in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through Retail & Business Banking Company, Corporate & Institutional Company, Global Corporate Company, Global Markets Company, Asset Management Company, and Others segments. The company provides deposit products; syndicated, housing, and card loans; business matching services; and advisory services related to overseas expansions, and mergers and acquisitions-related services. It also offers consulting services, including asset management and asset succession; payroll services; and sells lottery tickets issued by prefectures and ordinance-designated cities. In addition, it offers fund management, underwriting of equity and bonds, risk hedging products, etc. for corporate customers; solutions based on capital management, business strategy, and financial strategy; real estate services; advisory services and solutions, such as advice on proposals on various investment products to financial institutions; and financial services that include funding support and public bonds underwriting. Further, the company offers corporate finance and transaction banking srvices; sales and trading services; investment products; pension funds; and ALM and investment services, including stable capital raising and balance sheet management, as well as management of fixed income, equity, and other securities portfolios. Additionally, the company provides online banking, cash management solutions, currency transaction, trade finance, custody, yen correspondence settlement, and research and consulting services; trust, securitization and structured finance, and stock transfers; and private banking and information technology-related services. Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About UniCredit

UniCredit S.p.A. provides commercial banking services in Italy, Germany, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe. It offers retail, private, and wealth management solutions; and institutional investor solutions. The company also provides corporate finance advisory, rating advisory, financial sponsor, patient capital, capital structure advisory, and finance solutions, as well as securities services. In addition, it offers transactional and risk management, and strategic advisory and funding services; group trade and correspondent banking services; and payments and cash management solutions. The company serves SME, corporate, multinational corporate, financial institution, and public sector clients, as well as retail, private banking, wealth management, and family office clients. The company was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.