Financial Contrast: First Northwest Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWB) vs. TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ:TCBK)

TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ:TCBK) and First Northwest Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWB) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares TriCo Bancshares and First Northwest Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
TriCo Bancshares	21.87%	9.27%	1.19%
First Northwest Bancorp	2.67%	2.10%	0.15%

Volatility & Risk

TriCo Bancshares has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Northwest Bancorp has a beta of 0.6, suggesting that its stock price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for TriCo Bancshares and First Northwest Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
TriCo Bancshares	0	4	3	0	2.43
First Northwest Bancorp	2	1	2	0	2.00

TriCo Bancshares presently has a consensus target price of $48.60, indicating a potential upside of 0.60%. First Northwest Bancorp has a consensus target price of $13.50, indicating a potential upside of 38.89%. Given First Northwest Bancorp’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Northwest Bancorp is more favorable than TriCo Bancshares.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares TriCo Bancshares and First Northwest Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
TriCo Bancshares	$531.04 million	2.96	$114.87 million	$3.56	13.57
First Northwest Bancorp	$124.95 million	0.74	-$6.61 million	$0.36	27.00

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

Insider & Institutional Ownership

59.1% of TriCo Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 66.1% of First Northwest Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 4.8% of TriCo Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.5% of First Northwest Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

TriCo Bancshares beats First Northwest Bancorp on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About TriCo Bancshares

TriCo Bancshares operates as a bank holding company for Tri Counties Bank that provides commercial banking services to individual and corporate customers. The company accepts demand, savings, and time deposits. It also provides small business loans; real estate mortgage loans, such as residential and commercial loans; consumer loans; mortgage, auto, other vehicle, and personal loans; commercial loans, including agricultural loans; and real estate construction loans. In addition, the company offers treasury management services; credit and debit cards; and other customary banking services, including safe deposit boxes; and independent financial and broker-dealer services. Further, it provides checking, saving, and money market accounts, as well as individual retirement accounts; equipment financing; certificate of deposit account registry service; certificated of deposit; and IntraFi cash service. TriCo Bancshares was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Chico, California.

About First Northwest Bancorp

First Northwest Bancorp operates as a bank holding company for First Fed Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services to individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in western Washington, the United States. The company accepts various deposit instruments, including checking, money market deposit, savings, and transaction accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also originates one- to four-family mortgage loans, commercial and multi-family real estate loans, construction and land loans, and commercial business loans, as well as consumer loans primarily consisting of automobile loans, and home-equity loans and lines of credit. First Northwest Bancorp operates branch offices in Clallam, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, and Whatcom Counties, Washington. First Northwest Bancorp was founded in 1923 and is based in Port Angeles, Washington.