Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) vs. Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) Head to Head Survey

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) and Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

26.6% of Finward Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.9% of Brookline Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 13.7% of Finward Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.9% of Brookline Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Finward Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Finward Bancorp	0	0	1	0	3.00
Brookline Bancorp	0	1	1	1	3.00

Finward Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $31.00, suggesting a potential upside of 16.28%. Brookline Bancorp has a consensus target price of $14.17, suggesting a potential upside of 15.27%. Given Finward Bancorp’s higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Finward Bancorp is more favorable than Brookline Bancorp.

Dividends

Finward Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Brookline Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.54 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Finward Bancorp pays out 17.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Brookline Bancorp pays out 65.1% 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.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Finward Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Finward Bancorp	$70.21 million	1.64	$8.38 million	$2.83	9.42
Brookline Bancorp	$609.22 million	1.80	$75.00 million	$0.83	14.81

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

Profitability

This table compares Finward Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Finward Bancorp	10.44%	7.60%	0.55%
Brookline Bancorp	11.40%	6.20%	0.65%

Risk and Volatility

Finward Bancorp has a beta of 0.54, suggesting that its stock price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Brookline Bancorp has a beta of 0.79, suggesting that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Brookline Bancorp beats Finward Bancorp on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Finward Bancorp

Finward Bancorp operates as the holding company for Peoples Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company’s deposit products include non-interest- and interest-bearing demand accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, certificate accounts, and retirement savings plans. Its loan products portfolio comprises residential mortgage loans that enable borrowers to purchase existing homes, refinance existing homes, or construct new homes; construction loans primarily to individuals and contractors; commercial real estate loans; consumer loans to individuals for personal, household, or family purposes; home equity line of credit; home improvement loans and equity loans; commercial business loans; government loans; and loans to municipalities. The company also offers estate and retirement planning, custodial services, guardianships, IRA accounts, and investment agency accounts, as well as serves as the personal representative of estates, and acts as trustee for revocable and irrevocable trusts. In addition, it provides insurance and annuity investments to wealth management customers; holds real estate properties; and operates as a real estate investment trust. The company was formerly known as NorthWest Indiana Bancorp and changed its name to Finward Bancorp in May 2021. Finward Bancorp was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Munster, Indiana.

About Brookline Bancorp

Brookline Bancorp, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for the Brookline Bank that provide commercial, business, and retail banking services to corporate, municipal, and retail customers in the United States. Its deposit products include demand checking, NOW, money market, and savings accounts. The company’s loan portfolio primarily comprises first mortgage loans secured by commercial, multi-family, and residential real estate properties; loans to business entities comprising commercial lines of credit; loans to condominium associations; loans and leases used to finance equipment for small businesses; financing for construction and development projects; and home equity and other consumer loans. It provides credit, term loans, letters of credit, foreign exchange, cash management, consumer and residential loans, wealth and investment advisory, and online and mobile banking services, as well as invests in debt and equity securities. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.