Head to Head Comparison: Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) and Codorus Valley Bancorp (NASDAQ:CVLY)

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

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Catalyst Bancorp	5.35%	-4.99%	-1.54%
Codorus Valley Bancorp	16.66%	12.01%	1.05%

Risk and Volatility

Catalyst Bancorp has a beta of 0.13, suggesting that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Codorus Valley Bancorp has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Catalyst Bancorp and Codorus Valley Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Catalyst Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A
Codorus Valley Bancorp	0	0	1	0	3.00

Codorus Valley Bancorp has a consensus price target of $22.00, suggesting a potential downside of 2.53%. Given Codorus Valley Bancorp’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Codorus Valley Bancorp is more favorable than Catalyst Bancorp.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

33.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.1% of Codorus Valley Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 5.9% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.0% of Codorus Valley 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 & Earnings

This table compares Catalyst Bancorp and Codorus Valley Bancorp’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Catalyst Bancorp	$11.25 million	4.71	$600,000.00	($1.02)	-11.46
Codorus Valley Bancorp	$129.76 million	1.68	$24.97 million	$2.31	9.77

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

Summary

Codorus Valley Bancorp beats Catalyst Bancorp on 11 of the 13 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 Codorus Valley Bancorp

Codorus Valley Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for the PeoplesBank that provides community banking services in South Central Pennsylvania and Central Maryland. The company accepts demand, money market, time, and savings deposits, as well as certificates of deposit and checking account. It also offers commercial loans, such as builder and developer, commercial and residential real estate investor, hotel/motel, wholesale and retail, agriculture, manufacturing, and other loans; business loans; and consumer loans, including residential mortgage, home equity, and others. In addition, the company provides mortgage and wealth management services; credit cards; mobile banking and deposit; online bill pay and statement; treasury management; merchant services; and sells non-deposit investment products. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in York, Pennsylvania.