Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:SVNLY – Get Rating) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST – Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and risk.
Profitability
This table compares Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) and Southern First Bancshares' net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
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| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets |
| Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) | 36.75% | 10.90% | 0.57% |
| Southern First Bancshares | 36.78% | 14.93% | 1.37% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) and Southern First Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score |
| Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2.09 |
| Southern First Bancshares | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
Southern First Bancshares has a consensus target price of $50.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.20%. Given Southern First Bancshares' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Southern First Bancshares is more favorable than Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ).
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) and Southern First Bancshares' revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio |
| Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) | $5.80 billion | 3.00 | $2.28 billion | $0.56 | 7.98 |
| Southern First Bancshares | $110.27 million | 3.20 | $46.71 million | $5.12 | 8.63 |
Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) has higher revenue and earnings than Southern First Bancshares. Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Southern First Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Southern First Bancshares has a beta of 0.88, indicating that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
83.9% of Southern First Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.3% of Southern First Bancshares shares are owned 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.
Summary
Southern First Bancshares beats Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ)
(Get Rating)
Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) provides various banking products and services for private and corporate customers primarily in Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, the United States, Luxembourg, China, Germany, France, and Poland. The company offers savings, transactions, business, currency, and investment accounts, as well as accounts for cash pool, and forestry and agriculture; mortgage and committed loans, and private loans; mutual funds; pension products; credit and debit cards; and payment and reconciliation services. It also provides financing for investments, such as equipment, cars, computers, and other inventories, as well as vehicle and real estate financing services; green loans and advisor services; investment and other financing services; medical care, group and health, and travel insurance products; forestry and farming banking products; and online and mobile banking services. In addition, the company offers transaction, trade finance, cash management, risk management, and foreign exchange services, as well as various banking services for children and young people. It operates approximately 214 branches in Sweden, 196 in the Great Britain, 41 in Norway, 42 in Denmark, 27 in Finland, and 28 in the Netherlands. Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) was incorporated in 1871 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
About Southern First Bancshares
(Get Rating)
Southern First Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Southern First Bank that provides various banking products and services to general public in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. It operates through three segments: Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Corporate Operations. The company accepts various deposit products that include checking accounts, commercial checking accounts, and savings accounts, as well as other time deposits, including daily money market accounts and long-term certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans; construction real estate loans; commercial business loans for various lines of businesses, such as the manufacturing, service industry, and professional service areas; consumer real estate and home equity loans; and other consumer loans, including secured and unsecured installment loans and revolving lines of credit. In addition, the company provides other bank services, such as internet banking, cash management, safe deposit boxes, direct deposit, automatic drafts, bill payment, and mobile banking services. It operates through eight retail offices located in Greenville, Charleston, and Columbia; three retail offices located in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte markets; and one retail office located in Atlanta. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.
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