First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) & Thomasville Bancshares (OTCMKTS:THVB) Critical Survey

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) and Thomasville Bancshares (OTCMKTS:THVB) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability and risk.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares First Bancorp and Thomasville Bancshares”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Bancorp	$400.42 million	6.28	$111.05 million	$2.93	20.75
Thomasville Bancshares	$137.59 million	4.70	$44.71 million	$7.05	14.47

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

Volatility & Risk

First Bancorp has a beta of 0.81, meaning that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Thomasville Bancshares has a beta of 0.24, meaning that its share price is 76% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for First Bancorp and Thomasville Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Bancorp	0	3	3	1	2.71
Thomasville Bancshares	0	0	0	0	0.00

First Bancorp presently has a consensus target price of $62.95, suggesting a potential upside of 3.54%. Given First Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe First Bancorp is more favorable than Thomasville Bancshares.

Profitability

This table compares First Bancorp and Thomasville Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Bancorp	20.59%	10.86%	1.38%
Thomasville Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A

Dividends

First Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Thomasville Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $3.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. First Bancorp pays out 32.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Thomasville Bancshares pays out 42.6% 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.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

68.4% of First Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.0% of First Bancorp shares are owned 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.

Summary

First Bancorp beats Thomasville Bancshares on 15 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Bancorp

First Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides banking products and services for individuals and small to medium-sized businesses. The company accepts deposit products, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits, including certificate of deposits and individual retirement accounts. It also offers loans for a range of consumer and commercial purposes comprising loans for business, real estate, personal, home improvement, and automobiles, as well as residential mortgages and small business administration loans; and accounts receivable financing and factoring, inventory financing, and purchase order financing services. In addition, the company provides credit and debit cards, letter of credits, and safe deposit box rental services, as well as electronic funds transfer services consisting of wire transfers; and internet and mobile banking, cash management, bank-by-phone services, and remote deposit capture services. Further, it offers investment and insurance products, such as mutual funds, annuities, long-term care insurance, life insurance, and company retirement plans, as well as property and casualty insurance products; and financial planning services. The company was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

About Thomasville Bancshares

Thomasville Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Thomasville National Bank that provides a range of banking services to individual and corporate customers primarily in Thomas and Glynn counties, Georgia, Leon County, Florida, and the surrounding counties. The company offers checking and savings accounts; money market accounts; and certificates of deposits. It also provides commercial real estate mortgage loans, such as non-farm and non-residential commercial real estate loans, construction loans for commercial businesses, multifamily loans secured by income producing properties, and farmland; and 1-4 family residential loans, including first mortgage liens, junior liens, and home equity lines. In addition, the company offers commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; consumer loans comprising direct consumer instalment loans, overdrafts, and other revolving credit loans and educational loans; and loans to municipalities and development authorities. Further, it provides trust and money management services. The company was incorporated in 1995 and is based in Thomasville, Georgia.