Head to Head Contrast: First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) vs. Princeton Bancorp (NASDAQ:BPRN)

First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) and Princeton Bancorp (NASDAQ:BPRN) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares First Commonwealth Financial and Princeton Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Commonwealth Financial	$729.51 million	2.50	$152.30 million	$1.46	12.23
Princeton Bancorp	$139.02 million	1.70	$18.50 million	$2.72	12.80

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

Insider & Institutional Ownership

72.6% of First Commonwealth Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 43.4% of Princeton Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of First Commonwealth Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 23.0% of Princeton Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

First Commonwealth Financial has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Princeton Bancorp has a beta of 0.49, indicating that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

First Commonwealth Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.54 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Princeton Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.0%. First Commonwealth Financial pays out 37.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Princeton Bancorp pays out 51.5% 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. First Commonwealth Financial has raised its dividend for 9 consecutive years.

Profitability

This table compares First Commonwealth Financial and Princeton Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Commonwealth Financial	20.88%	10.43%	1.30%
Princeton Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for First Commonwealth Financial and Princeton Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Commonwealth Financial	0	3	4	0	2.57
Princeton Bancorp	1	1	1	1	2.50

First Commonwealth Financial currently has a consensus target price of $19.75, indicating a potential upside of 10.64%. Princeton Bancorp has a consensus target price of $37.50, indicating a potential upside of 7.73%. Given First Commonwealth Financial’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe First Commonwealth Financial is more favorable than Princeton Bancorp.

Summary

First Commonwealth Financial beats Princeton Bancorp on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Commonwealth Financial

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides various consumer and commercial banking services in the United States. Its consumer services include personal checking accounts, interest-earning checking accounts, savings and health savings accounts, insured money market accounts, debit cards, investment certificates, fixed and variable rate certificates of deposit, mortgage loans, secured and unsecured installment loans, construction and real estate loans, safe deposit facilities, credit cards, credit lines with overdraft checking protection, IRA accounts, and automated teller machine (atm) services, as well as internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company's commercial banking services comprise commercial lending, business checking accounts, online account management services, payroll direct deposits, commercial cash management services, and repurchase agreements, as well as ACH origination services. In addition, it offers various trust and asset management services; auto, home, and business insurance, as well as term life insurance; and annuities, mutual funds, and stock and bond brokerage services through a broker-dealer and insurance brokers. The company was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

About Princeton Bancorp

Princeton Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for The Bank of Princeton that provides various banking products and services. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, attorney trust, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also offers traditional retail banking services, one-to-four-family residential mortgage loans, multi-family and commercial mortgage loans, construction loans, and commercial business loans, as well as consumer loans, including home equity loans and lines of credit. In addition, it provides debit and credit cards, and money orders, direct deposit, automated teller machines, cashier's checks, safe deposit boxes, online banking, wire transfers, night depository, remote deposit capture, bank-by-mail, online, and automated telephone banking services, as well as payroll-related services and merchant credit card processing services. Further, the company offers full on-line statements, on-line bill payment, account inquiries, mobile banking, transaction histories and details, and account-to-account transfer services. Princeton Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey.