Financial Comparison: F.N.B. (NYSE:FNB) versus Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC)

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) and F.N.B. (NYSE:FNB) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and valuation.

Dividends

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. F.N.B. pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 14.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. F.N.B. pays out 44.0% 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.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of F.N.B. shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.4% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of F.N.B. shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Nicolet Bankshares and F.N.B., as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares	0	3	2	0	2.40
F.N.B.	0	1	5	0	2.83

Nicolet Bankshares currently has a consensus target price of $106.00, suggesting a potential downside of 6.05%. F.N.B. has a consensus target price of $16.83, suggesting a potential downside of 1.85%. Given F.N.B.’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe F.N.B. is more favorable than Nicolet Bankshares.

Volatility & Risk

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, F.N.B. has a beta of 0.95, suggesting that its stock price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Nicolet Bankshares and F.N.B.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares	23.35%	10.56%	1.34%
F.N.B.	16.29%	8.49%	1.10%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Nicolet Bankshares and F.N.B.”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Nicolet Bankshares	$349.34 million	4.91	$61.52 million	$7.86	14.35
F.N.B.	$2.23 billion	2.77	$485.00 million	$1.09	15.73

F.N.B. has higher revenue and earnings than Nicolet Bankshares. Nicolet Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than F.N.B., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

F.N.B. beats Nicolet Bankshares on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Nicolet Bankshares

Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Nicolet National Bank that provides banking products and services for businesses and individuals in Wisconsin and Michigan. The company accepts checking, savings, and money market accounts; various certificates of deposit; and individual retirement accounts. It also offers commercial loans, including commercial, industrial, and business loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate loans; agricultural (AG) production and AG real estate loans; commercial real estate investment real estate loans; construction and land development loans; residential real estate loans, such as residential first lien and junior lien mortgages, home equity loans, lines of credit, and residential construction loans; and consumer loans. In addition, the company provides cash management, international banking, personal brokerage, safe deposit boxes, and trust and fiduciary services, as well as wealth management and retirement plan services. Further, it offers mortgage refinancing; online services, such as commercial, retail, and trust online banking; automated bill payment, mobile banking deposits and account access, and remote deposit capture services; and other services consisting of wire transfers, debit cards, credit cards, pre-paid gift cards, direct deposits, and official bank checks, as well as facilitates crop insurance products. The company was formerly known as Green Bay Financial Corporation and changed its name to Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. in March 2002. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

About F.N.B.

F.N.B. Corporation, a bank and financial holding company, provides a range of financial products and services primarily to consumers, corporations, governments, and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Community Banking segment offers commercial and consumer banking services, including corporate and small business banking, investment real estate financing, business credit, capital market, and lease financing services. It also provides consumer banking products and services, such as deposit products, mortgage and consumer lending services, and mobile and online banking services. The Wealth Management segment provides personal and corporate fiduciary services comprising administration of decedent and trust estates; and securities brokerage and investment advisory services, mutual funds, and annuities. The Insurance segment comprises commercial and personal insurance, and reinsurance products, as well as mezzanine financing options for small- to medium-sized businesses. The company operates community banking branches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. F.N.B. Corporation was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.