Critical Contrast: M&F Bancorp (OTCMKTS:MFBP) versus Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST)

Insider and Institutional Ownership

33.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 2.9% of M&F Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.9% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
M&F Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A
Catalyst Bancorp	13.74%	2.70%	0.79%

Risk & Volatility

M&F Bancorp has a beta of -0.41, indicating that its stock price is 141% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Catalyst Bancorp has a beta of 0.17, indicating that its stock price is 83% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares M&F Bancorp and Catalyst Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
M&F Bancorp	$29.33 million	1.26	$4.77 million	N/A	N/A
Catalyst Bancorp	$10.02 million	5.21	-$3.09 million	$0.57	21.93

M&F Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Catalyst Bancorp.

Summary

Catalyst Bancorp beats M&F Bancorp on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About M&F Bancorp

M&F Bancorp, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for the Mechanics and Farmers Bank that provides consumer and commercial banking products and services in North Carolina. It offers deposit products, including demand deposits; checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company provides loans for commercial and residential real estate, and construction; and consumer and other loans; as well as ATM services. M&F Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.

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.