Head to Head Survey: Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) and Bancorp 34 (OTCMKTS:BCTF)

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

Insider and Institutional Ownership

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

Valuation and Earnings

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bancorp 34	$28.85 million	1.22	-$3.40 million	N/A	N/A
Catalyst Bancorp	$11.25 million	4.77	$600,000.00	$0.14	84.00

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

Volatility & Risk

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

Profitability

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

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

Analyst Recommendations

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

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

Summary

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

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.

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.