Community Investors Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CIBN) & Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK) Critical Analysis

Landmark Bancorp (NASDAQ:LARK) and Community Investors Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CIBN) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Landmark Bancorp and Community Investors Bancorp”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Landmark Bancorp	$72.95 million	2.64	$18.77 million	$3.12	10.11
Community Investors Bancorp	$19.58 million	1.13	$1.82 million	$3.97	7.05

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

Dividends

Landmark Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Community Investors Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Landmark Bancorp pays out 26.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Community Investors Bancorp pays out 10.1% 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. Landmark Bancorp has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years. Landmark Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Landmark Bancorp and Community Investors Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Landmark Bancorp	0	0	1	0	3.00
Community Investors Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares Landmark Bancorp and Community Investors Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Landmark Bancorp	19.67%	12.22%	1.19%
Community Investors Bancorp	14.51%	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

25.7% of Landmark Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 12.8% of Landmark Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.8% of Community Investors Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Landmark Bancorp has a beta of 0.39, meaning that its stock price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Community Investors Bancorp has a beta of 0.02, meaning that its stock price is 98% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Landmark Bancorp beats Community Investors Bancorp on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Landmark Bancorp

Landmark Bancorp, Inc. operates as the financial holding company for Landmark National Bank that provides various financial and banking services to its local communities. It offers non-interest bearing demand, money market, checking, and savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides one-to-four family residential real estate, construction and land, commercial real estate, commercial, paycheck protection program, municipal, and agriculture loans; and consumer and other loans, such as automobile, boat, and home improvement and home equity loans, as well as insurance, and mobile and online banking services. In addition, the company invests in certain investment and mortgage-related securities. It operates in the eastern, central, southeast, and southwest Kansas. The company was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas.

About Community Investors Bancorp

Community Investors Bancorp, Inc. operates as a thrift holding company for First Federal Community Bank of Bucyrus that engages in the provision of banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in northern Ohio. The company offers deposit accounts, including demand, NOW, checking, savings, money market, Christmas club, health savings, certificates of deposit, time deposit, and individual retirement accounts. It also provides consumer loans, home equity loans, home equity line of credit, auto and RV loans, residential real estate loans, mortgage loans, and construction loans for personal use; and business loans, lines of credit, term loans, ag loans, nonresidential real estate loans, secured loans, credit cards, commercial investment real estate, construction loans, and equipment financing for business use. In addition, the company offers online and mobile banking, bill payments, e-statements, remote deposit capture, cash management, mobile and night deposits, debit cards, overdraft protection, safety deposit boxes, telephone banking, positive pay/check reconciliation, direct deposit, and ACH and payroll services. Community Investors Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is based in Bucyrus, Ohio.