Gouverneur Bancorp (OTCMKTS:GOVB) versus Oconee Federal Financial (NASDAQ:OFED) Critical Contrast

Dividends

Oconee Federal Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Gouverneur Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Oconee Federal Financial pays out 33.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Gouverneur Bancorp pays out 31.4% 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.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

21.6% of Gouverneur Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.1% of Oconee Federal Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Gouverneur Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Oconee Federal Financial and Gouverneur Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Oconee Federal Financial	N/A	N/A	N/A
Gouverneur Bancorp	5.77%	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Oconee Federal Financial and Gouverneur Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Oconee Federal Financial	$30.77 million	2.41	$6.26 million	$1.18	10.78
Gouverneur Bancorp	$9.34 million	1.46	$540,000.00	$0.51	24.12

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

Risk & Volatility

Oconee Federal Financial has a beta of 0.27, meaning that its stock price is 73% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Gouverneur Bancorp has a beta of 0.57, meaning that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Oconee Federal Financial beats Gouverneur Bancorp on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Oconee Federal Financial

Oconee Federal Financial Corp. operates as a holding company for Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association that provides various banking products and services in the Oconee and Pickens County areas of northwestern South Carolina, and the northeast area of Georgia in Stephens County and Rabun County. It offers deposit products, including demand, money market, NOW, savings, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company’s loan portfolio comprises one-to-four family residential and multi-family real estate loans; home equity loans and lines of credit; nonresidential real estate loans; mortgage loans; construction and land loans; commercial and industrial loans; agricultural loans; and consumer and other loans, such as installment loans for various consumer purposes, including the purchase of automobiles, boats, and other legitimate personal purposes. Oconee Federal Financial Corp. was founded in 1924 and is based in Seneca, South Carolina. Oconee Federal Financial Corp. operates as a subsidiary of Oconee Federal, MHC.

About Gouverneur Bancorp

Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association that provides various banking products and services to individuals and businesses in New York. It accepts passbook savings, NOW, money market deposit, and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company's loan products include mortgage loans, one- to four-family residential loans, commercial real estate loans, and multi-family residential real estate loans, residential and commercial construction loans, commercial land loans, home equity loans, lines of credit, commercial loans, automobiles, motorcycles, campers, boats, and other recreational vehicles, as well as personal secured and unsecured loans. It also invests in municipal bonds, U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. Government agencies and government-sponsored obligations, and mortgage-backed securities. In addition, the company offers online, mobile, bill pay, and telephone banking; electronic or paper statements; and ATM, debit cards, direct deposits, mobile remote deposit capture, automatic payments and transfers, bank checks, wire transfers, and safe deposit box services. It serves primarily the St. Lawrence County, and Jefferson and Lewis counties in New York State. The company was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in Gouverneur, New York.