Contrasting Heartland BancCorp. (OTCMKTS:HLAN) & First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF)

Heartland BancCorp. (OTCMKTS:HLAN) and First Financial Corporation Indiana (NASDAQ:THFF) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Heartland BancCorp. and First Financial Corporation Indiana”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Heartland BancCorp.	$119.21 million	2.74	$20.26 million	$9.76	16.39
First Financial Corporation Indiana	$347.56 million	2.29	$79.21 million	$6.68	10.03

First Financial Corporation Indiana has higher revenue and earnings than Heartland BancCorp.. First Financial Corporation Indiana is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Heartland BancCorp., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

7.5% of Heartland BancCorp. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.7% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are held by institutional investors. 22.7% of Heartland BancCorp. shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of First Financial Corporation Indiana shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Heartland BancCorp. and First Financial Corporation Indiana’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Heartland BancCorp.	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Financial Corporation Indiana	22.79%	13.34%	1.41%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Heartland BancCorp. and First Financial Corporation Indiana, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Heartland BancCorp.	0	0	0	0	0.00
First Financial Corporation Indiana	0	3	2	0	2.40

First Financial Corporation Indiana has a consensus target price of $60.00, suggesting a potential downside of 10.49%. Given First Financial Corporation Indiana’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Financial Corporation Indiana is more favorable than Heartland BancCorp..

Summary

First Financial Corporation Indiana beats Heartland BancCorp. on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Heartland BancCorp.

Heartland BancCorp operates as the bank holding company for Heartland Bank that provides various banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers. The company offers personal and business checking and savings accounts. It also provides various lending solutions comprising agricultural loans, commercial and business lending, home and personal loans, and title services. In addition, the company offers online banking, treasury management, credit and debit card, and mobile wallet services. Further, it provides education planning, insurance, wealth management, and retirement planning services. Heartland BancCorp was founded in 1911 and is based in Whitehall, Ohio.

About First Financial Corporation Indiana

First Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial services. The company offers non-interest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, savings, time, and other time deposits. It also provides commercial loans primarily to expand a business or finance asset purchases; residential real estate and residential real estate construction loans; and home equity loans and lines, secured loans, and cash/CD secured and unsecured loans. In addition, the company offers lease financing, trust account, depositor, and insurance services. The company was founded in 1834 and is headquartered in Terre Haute, Indiana.