Head-To-Head Review: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (NYSE:SMFG) & Danske Bank (OTCMKTS:DNKEY)

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (NYSE:SMFG) and Danske Bank (OTCMKTS:DNKEY) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and risk.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

3.9% of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Danske Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group pays out 17.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Danske Bank pays out 72.8% 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.

Profitability

This table compares Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Danske Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	15.68%	10.57%	0.52%
Danske Bank	40.38%	13.14%	0.62%

Volatility and Risk

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group has a beta of 0.43, indicating that its share price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Danske Bank has a beta of 0.6, indicating that its share price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Danske Bank”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$71.68 billion	2.24	$10.45 billion	$1.34	18.82
Danske Bank	$8.61 billion	5.06	$3.49 billion	$2.17	12.29

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group has higher revenue and earnings than Danske Bank. Danske Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Danske Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	0	1	0	2	3.33
Danske Bank	0	2	4	0	2.67

About Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides banking, leasing, securities, credit card, and consumer finance services in Japan, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. It operates through Wholesale Business Unit, Retail Business Unit, Global Business Unit, and Global Markets Business Unit segments. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About Danske Bank

Danske Bank A/S provides various banking products and services to corporate, institutional, and international clients. The company offers insurance and pension products, mortgage finance and real-estate brokerage services, asset management and trading services in fixed income products, foreign exchange services, and equities. It also provides advisory services to personal and private banking customers; and business advisory services, including acquisition, change of ownership, strategic development, or international expansion. In addition, the company offers financing, risk management, investment, and financial advisory services for large corporates and institutions; healthcare solutions; and online and mobile banking services. It has operations in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.