Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC – Get Rating) and Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS – Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Nicolet Bankshares and Webster Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Nicolet Bankshares currently has a consensus target price of $92.50, indicating a potential upside of 24.04%. Webster Financial has a consensus target price of $60.25, indicating a potential upside of 9.29%. Given Nicolet Bankshares' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Nicolet Bankshares is more favorable than Webster Financial.

Earnings and Valuation

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

Profitability

This table compares Nicolet Bankshares and Webster Financial's net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

37.4% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.9% of Webster Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.4% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Webster Financial shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.73, indicating that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Webster Financial has a beta of 1.29, indicating that its stock price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Webster Financial beats Nicolet Bankshares on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Nicolet Bankshares

(Get Rating)

Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial and consumer banking services through its subsidiary. It offers lending and deposit gathering, ancillary banking-related, trust, brokerage, and other investment management products and services. The firm also delivers commercial-related and residential real estate loans. The company was founded by Robert Bruc Atwell and Michael Edward Daniels on April 5, 2000 and is headquartered in Green Bay, WI.

About Webster Financial

(Get Rating)

Webster Financial Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses. It operates through the following business segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Retail Banking. The Commercial Banking segment includes commercial banking and private banking. The HSA Bank segment offers comprehensive consumer directed healthcare solutions. The Retail Banking segment consists of consumer lending and small business banking units. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Stamford, CT.

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