Bridgewater Bancshares (NASDAQ:BWB) versus Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC) Critical Comparison

Bridgewater Bancshares (NASDAQ:BWB) and Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Bridgewater Bancshares and Camden National’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bridgewater Bancshares	17.69%	11.06%	0.91%
Camden National	21.32%	11.78%	1.16%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Bridgewater Bancshares and Camden National, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bridgewater Bancshares	0	2	3	0	2.60
Camden National	0	4	2	0	2.33

Bridgewater Bancshares presently has a consensus price target of $21.67, indicating a potential upside of 9.76%. Camden National has a consensus price target of $52.25, indicating a potential upside of 1.48%. Given Bridgewater Bancshares’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Bridgewater Bancshares is more favorable than Camden National.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

65.8% of Bridgewater Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.4% of Camden National shares are owned by institutional investors. 23.1% of Bridgewater Bancshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Camden National shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Bridgewater Bancshares has a beta of 0.58, indicating that its share price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Camden National has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Bridgewater Bancshares and Camden National”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bridgewater Bancshares	$292.76 million	1.88	$46.09 million	$1.77	11.15
Camden National	$373.18 million	2.33	$65.16 million	$4.70	10.96

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

Summary

Camden National beats Bridgewater Bancshares on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bridgewater Bancshares

Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Bridgewater Bank that provides banking products and services to commercial real estate investors, entrepreneurs, business clients, and individuals in the United States. The company provides savings and money market accounts, demand deposits, time and brokered deposits, and interest and noninterest bearing transaction, as well as certificates of deposit. It offers commercial loans to sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and other business enterprises to finance working capital, capital investment, or for other business related purposes; paycheck protection program loans; construction and land development loans; 1-4 family mortgage loans; multifamily lending products; owner and non-owner occupied commercial real estate loans; and consumer and other loans. In addition, the company online, mobile, and direct banking services. Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota.

About Camden National

Camden National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Camden National Bank that provides various commercial and consumer banking products and services for consumer, institutional, municipal, non-profit, and commercial customers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The company accepts checking, savings, time, and brokered deposits, as well as deposits with the certificate of deposit account registry system. Its loan products include non-owner-occupied commercial estate loans, owner-occupied commercial real estate loans, unsecured fully-guaranteed commercial loans backed by the small business administration, loans secured by one-to four-family properties, and consumer and home equity loans. The company also provides brokerage and insurance services through its financial offerings consisting of college, retirement, estate planning, mutual funds, strategic asset management accounts, and variable and fixed annuities. Further, it offers a range of fiduciary and asset management, wealth management, investment management, financial planning, and trustee services. Camden National Corporation was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Camden, Maine.