ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) vs. Pioneer Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBFS) Financial Review

Pioneer Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBFS) and ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, risk and earnings.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

30.3% of ECB Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of Pioneer Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of ECB Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Pioneer Bancorp has a beta of 0.45, meaning that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ECB Bancorp has a beta of 0.71, meaning that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Pioneer Bancorp and ECB Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Pioneer Bancorp	18.18%	6.34%	0.91%
ECB Bancorp	7.01%	2.53%	0.34%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Pioneer Bancorp and ECB Bancorp’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Pioneer Bancorp	$85.18 million	N/A	$21.95 million	$0.69	13.04
ECB Bancorp	$25.84 million	4.39	$4.46 million	$0.49	25.04

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Pioneer Bancorp and ECB Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Pioneer Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A
ECB Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A

Summary

Pioneer Bancorp beats ECB Bancorp on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Pioneer Bancorp

Pioneer Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Pioneer Savings Bank that provides various banking products and services in New York. The company accepts various deposit products, such as demand, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts. Its loan products include commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, commercial construction, residential mortgage lending, consumer loans, and home equity lines of credit. The company also invests in the U.S. governmental securities, fixed rate collateralized mortgage obligations, mortgage-backed securities, fixed-rate investment grade bonds, and equity securities. In addition, the company offers personal and commercial insurance products, including homeowners, automobile, and comprehensive business insurance; employee benefit products and services, such as group health, dental, disability, and life insurance products, as well as defined contribution, defined benefit administration, and human resource management services; and wealth management services comprising investment advice, retirement income planning, estate planning, business succession, and employer retirement planning. The company was founded in 1889 and is based in Albany, New York. Pioneer Bancorp, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Pioneer Bancorp, MHC.

About ECB Bancorp

ECB Bancorp, Inc. operating as a holding company for Everett Co-operative Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts various deposit products, including certificate of deposit accounts, IRAs, money market accounts, savings accounts, demand deposit accounts, and interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking accounts. It also offers one- to four-family residential real estate, commercial real estate and multifamily real estate, construction and land, commercial, and consumer loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit. In addition, the company invests in securities, consisting primarily of U.S. government and federal agency obligations, mortgage-backed securities, and corporate bonds. ECB Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1890 and is based in Everett, Massachusetts.