Analyzing Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) & Mid-Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:MSVB)

Mid-Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:MSVB) and Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

10.1% of Mid-Southern Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 12.7% of Columbia Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 10.2% of Mid-Southern Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.4% of Columbia Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Mid-Southern Bancorp and Columbia Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mid-Southern Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A
Columbia Financial	0	1	1	0	2.50

Columbia Financial has a consensus price target of $17.50, suggesting a potential downside of 1.96%. Given Columbia Financial’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Columbia Financial is more favorable than Mid-Southern Bancorp.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Mid-Southern Bancorp and Columbia Financial’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mid-Southern Bancorp	$8.88 million	4.79	$1.46 million	$0.40	36.88
Columbia Financial	$216.62 million	8.64	$36.09 million	$0.16	111.56

Columbia Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Mid-Southern Bancorp. Mid-Southern Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Columbia Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Mid-Southern Bancorp and Columbia Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mid-Southern Bancorp	9.17%	3.18%	0.42%
Columbia Financial	4.11%	2.43%	0.24%

Risk and Volatility

Mid-Southern Bancorp has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Columbia Financial has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Columbia Financial beats Mid-Southern Bancorp on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Mid-Southern Bancorp

Mid-Southern Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Mid-Southern Savings Bank, FSB that provides various banking products and services to individuals and business customers. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and term deposits. The company also offers loans secured by first mortgages on one- to four-family residences, including home equity loans and lines of credit; commercial and multifamily real estate loans; construction loans secured by single-family residences; commercial and multifamily real estate loans; land and lot loans; commercial business loans; consumer loans, including new and used manufactured homes, automobiles and truck, boats, and motorcycles and recreational vehicle loans; loans secured by savings deposits and other personal loans; and unsecured consumer loans. In addition, it holds and manages an investment securities portfolio. The company provides its products and services through its main office in Salem; and through its branch offices located in Mitchell and Orleans, Indiana, as well as through loan production offices located in New Albany, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Salem, Indiana.

About Columbia Financial

Columbia Financial, Inc., a bank holding company, provides various financial services to businesses and consumers in the United States. Its deposit products include checking, interest-earning checking products and municipal, savings and club deposits, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides various loans, including multifamily and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans, one-to-four family residential loans, construction loans, home equity loans and advances, and other consumer loans, such as automobiles and personal loans, as well as unsecured and overdraft lines of credit. In addition, it offers title insurance products; wealth management services; and cash management services comprising remote deposit, lockbox service, sweep accounts, and escrow services. The company operates full-service banking offices in New Jersey; and branch offices in Freehold, New Jersey. Columbia Financial, Inc. was founded in 1926 and is based in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Columbia Financial, Inc. is a subsidiary of Columbia Bank MHC.