NBT Bancorp (NASDAQ:NBTB) vs. CNB Financial (NASDAQ:CCNE) Head to Head Survey

NBT Bancorp (NASDAQ:NBTB) and CNB Financial (NASDAQ:CCNE) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

58.5% of NBT Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.4% of CNB Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.0% of NBT Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.9% of CNB Financial shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

NBT Bancorp has a beta of 0.49, indicating that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CNB Financial has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares NBT Bancorp and CNB Financial”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NBT Bancorp	$724.25 million	3.46	$169.24 million	$3.51	13.73
CNB Financial	$432.51 million	2.25	$66.13 million	$2.81	11.67

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

Dividends

NBT Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. CNB Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. NBT Bancorp pays out 42.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. CNB Financial pays out 27.0% 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. NBT Bancorp has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years and CNB Financial has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. NBT Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for NBT Bancorp and CNB Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NBT Bancorp	0	3	2	1	2.67
CNB Financial	0	2	2	1	2.80

NBT Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $49.50, indicating a potential upside of 2.74%. CNB Financial has a consensus target price of $34.33, indicating a potential upside of 4.67%. Given CNB Financial’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe CNB Financial is more favorable than NBT Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares NBT Bancorp and CNB Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NBT Bancorp	19.59%	11.06%	1.28%
CNB Financial	17.62%	12.14%	1.16%

Summary

NBT Bancorp beats CNB Financial on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NBT Bancorp

NBT Bancorp Inc., a financial holding company, provides commercial banking, retail banking, and wealth management services. Its deposit products include demand deposit, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises indirect and direct consumer, home equity, mortgages, business banking loans, and commercial loans; commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, agricultural, and commercial construction loans; and residential real estate loans. It also provides trust and investment services; financial planning and life insurance services; and retirement plan administration and recordkeeping services. In addition, the company offers insurance products comprising personal property and casualty, business liability, and commercial insurance, as well as other products and services through 24-hour online, mobile, and telephone channels that enable customers to check balances, make deposits, transfer funds, pay bills, access statements, apply for loans, and access various other products and services. Further, it operates as a property management and passive investment company, as well as investment advisor that provides investment management and financial consulting services. The company operates in upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, Vermont, southern Maine, and central and northwestern Connecticut. NBT Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Norwich, New York.

About CNB Financial

CNB Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for CNB Bank that provides a range of banking products and services for individual, business, governmental, and institutional customers. The company accepts checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; and offers real estate, commercial, industrial, residential, and consumer loans, as well as various other specialized financial services. It also provides private banking; and wealth and asset management services, including the administration of trusts and estates, retirement plans, and other employee benefit plans, as well as a range of wealth management services. In addition, the company invests in debt and equity securities; sells nonproprietary annuities and other insurance products; and offers small balance unsecured loans and secured loans primarily collateralized by automobiles and equipment, as well as engages in consumer discount loan and finance business. The company was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Clearfield, Pennsylvania.