Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ:CBSH – Get Rating) and Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF – Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk, profitability and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

68.8% of Commerce Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.2% of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida shares are held by institutional investors. 3.2% of Commerce Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Commerce Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $1.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Commerce Bancshares pays out 27.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida pays out 36.2% 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. Commerce Bancshares has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years and Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years.

Volatility and Risk

Profitability

This table compares Commerce Bancshares and Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida's net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Commerce Bancshares and Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Commerce Bancshares currently has a consensus price target of $68.72, indicating a potential upside of 0.36%. Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida has a consensus price target of $37.00, indicating a potential upside of 17.68%. Given Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida is more favorable than Commerce Bancshares.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Commerce Bancshares and Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida's revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Commerce Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida. Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Commerce Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Commerce Bancshares beats Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Commerce Bancshares

(Get Rating)

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Commerce Bank that provides retail, mortgage banking, corporate, investment, trust, and asset management products and services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Consumer, Commercial, and Wealth. The Consumer segment offers various banking products and services, including consumer deposits; consumer loans, such as automobile, motorcycle, marine, tractor/trailer, recreational vehicle, fixed rate and revolving home equity, and other consumer loans; patient health care financing; real estate loans; indirect and other consumer financing; personal mortgage banking; consumer installment lending; and consumer debit and credit bank cards. The Commercial segment provides corporate lending, leasing, international, merchant and commercial bank card, and securities safekeeping and bond accounting services; and business products, government deposits, and related commercial cash management services, as well as sells fixed income securities to correspondent banks, corporations, public institutions, municipalities, and individuals. The Wealth segment provides traditional trust and estate planning, advisory and discretionary investment portfolio management, and brokerage services, as well as private banking accounts. The company also offers private equity investment, securities brokerage, insurance agency, specialty lending, and leasing services, as well as online and mobile banking services. It operates through a network of 287 locations in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Colorado, as well as commercial offices. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

About Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida

(Get Rating)

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida operates as the bank holding company for Seacoast National Bank that provides financial services to retail and commercial customers in Florida. It offers commercial and retail banking, wealth management, and mortgage services; and brokerage and annuity services. The company offers noninterest and interest-bearing demand deposit, money market, savings, and customer sweep accounts; time certificates of deposit; construction and land development, commercial and residential real estate, and commercial and financial loans; and consumer loans, including installment loans and revolving lines, as well as loans for automobiles, boats, and personal or family purposes. As of December 31, 2021, it had 54 branch and commercial lending offices. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Stuart, Florida.

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