Head to Head Analysis: Bancorp 34 (OTCMKTS:BCTF) & Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST)

Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) and Bancorp 34 (OTCMKTS:BCTF) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, earnings, valuation and institutional ownership.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Catalyst Bancorp and Bancorp 34, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Catalyst Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A
Bancorp 34	0	0	0	0	N/A

Profitability

This table compares Catalyst Bancorp and Bancorp 34’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Catalyst Bancorp	5.35%	0.71%	0.22%
Bancorp 34	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Catalyst Bancorp and Bancorp 34’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Catalyst Bancorp	$11.25 million	4.76	$600,000.00	$0.14	83.83
Bancorp 34	$28.85 million	1.22	-$3.40 million	N/A	N/A

Catalyst Bancorp has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Bancorp 34.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

33.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 6.5% of Bancorp 34 shares are held by institutional investors. 5.4% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 7.4% of Bancorp 34 shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Catalyst Bancorp has a beta of 0.13, meaning that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bancorp 34 has a beta of 0.35, meaning that its stock price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Catalyst Bancorp beats Bancorp 34 on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Catalyst Bancorp

Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Catalyst Bank that provides various banking services to individuals and businesses in Louisiana. The company accepts various deposit products, including savings accounts, demand and NOW accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. It also offers single family residential first mortgage loans, commercial real estate mortgage loans, multi-family residential mortgage loans, commercial and industrial loans, construction and land loans, consumer loans, and other loans. In addition, the company invests in various types of securities comprising mortgage-backed securities, the U.S. treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies and of state and municipal governments, certificates of deposit at federally insured banks and savings institutions, and federal funds. Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Opelousas, Louisiana.

About Bancorp 34

Bancorp 34, Inc. operates as the holding company for Bank 34 that offers various banking products and services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, such as savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, demand and time deposits, NOW accounts, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides term, working capital, construction, USDA, small business administration, equipment, assisted living and skilled nursing, renewable energy and solar equipment, and commercial real estate loans; and small to medium size business and business acquisitions financing; lines of credit; and employee stock ownership plans, HOA lending, and investor pools of single family rentals. In addition, it offers credit and debit cards; safe deposit boxes; and merchant card processing, cash management, e-banking, mobile and online banking, bill payment, and merchant capture services. The company operates through its network of full-service branches in Scottsdale and Arizona, as well as Alamogordo and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Bancorp 34, Inc. was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.