National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) Financial Analysis

National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

Dividends

National Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. National Bankshares pays out 62.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida pays out 47.5% 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. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Profitability

This table compares National Bankshares and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
National Bankshares	18.55%	9.59%	0.92%
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	15.47%	7.07%	0.98%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

29.7% of National Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.8% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are held by institutional investors. 3.2% of National Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.6% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares National Bankshares and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
National Bankshares	$85.32 million	2.72	$15.83 million	$2.48	14.67
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	$935.52 million	3.19	$144.88 million	$1.60	19.04

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has higher revenue and earnings than National Bankshares. National Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for National Bankshares and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
National Bankshares	0	1	0	0	2.00
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	0	4	3	0	2.43

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a consensus price target of $31.90, suggesting a potential upside of 4.69%. Given Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is more favorable than National Bankshares.

Risk & Volatility

National Bankshares has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida beats National Bankshares on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About National Bankshares

National Bankshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for the National Bank of Blacksburg that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, businesses, non-profits, and local governments. The company accepts interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts. Its loan products include commercial and agricultural, commercial real estate, residential real estate, home equity, and various consumer loan products, as well as loans for the construction of commercial and residential properties. The company also provides business and consumer debit and credit cards; letters of credit, night depository services, safe deposit boxes, utility payment services, and automatic funds transfer; wealth management, trust, and estate services; non-deposit investment and insurance products; and telephone, mobile, and Internet banking services. The company was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia.

About Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of integrated financial services. It provides banking and investment services to businesses and consumers, including personal and business deposit products, Internet and mobile banking, personal, commercial and mortgage loans, wealth management services, and treasury management solutions. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Stuart, FL.