Critical Contrast: Bitcoin Depot (NASDAQ:BTM) & Primis Financial (NASDAQ:FRST)

Primis Financial (NASDAQ:FRST) and Bitcoin Depot (NASDAQ:BTM) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Primis Financial and Bitcoin Depot’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Primis Financial	18.78%	3.99%	0.40%
Bitcoin Depot	-0.94%	-70.95%	-5.08%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

75.0% of Primis Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 9.2% of Bitcoin Depot shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.0% of Primis Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 51.8% of Bitcoin Depot shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Primis Financial has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its share price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bitcoin Depot has a beta of 0.96, suggesting that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Primis Financial and Bitcoin Depot”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Primis Financial	$277.00 million	1.17	$61.44 million	$1.93	6.80
Bitcoin Depot	$614.85 million	0.04	-$6.18 million	$1.90	1.07

Primis Financial has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Bitcoin Depot. Bitcoin Depot is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Primis Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Primis Financial and Bitcoin Depot, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Primis Financial	0	1	2	0	2.67
Bitcoin Depot	1	2	3	0	2.33

Primis Financial presently has a consensus target price of $1.00, suggesting a potential downside of 92.38%. Bitcoin Depot has a consensus target price of $14.40, suggesting a potential upside of 609.36%. Given Bitcoin Depot’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Bitcoin Depot is more favorable than Primis Financial.

Summary

Primis Financial beats Bitcoin Depot on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Primis Financial

Primis Financial Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Primis Bank that provides a range of financial services to individuals and small and medium sized businesses in the United States. Its deposit products include checking, NOW, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposits. The company also provides commercial business and real estate, construction, secured asset based, small business administration, mortgage warehouse lending products, as well as financing for medical, dental, and veterinary businesses; residential mortgage, trust mortgage, home equity lines of credit, secured and unsecured personal, and consumer loans, as well as life insurance premium financing and demand loans. It also offers cash management services comprising investment/sweep, zero balance, and controlled disbursement accounts; and wire transfer, employer/payroll processing, night depository, depository transfer, merchant, ACH origination, and remote deposit capture services. In addition, the company provides debit cards, ATM services, notary services, and mobile and online banking. It operates full-service branches in Virginia and Maryland. The company was formerly known as Southern National Bancorp of Virginia, Inc. and changed its name to Primis Financial Corp. Primis Financial Corp. was founded in 2004 and is based in McLean, Virginia.

About Bitcoin Depot

Bitcoin Depot Inc. owns and operates a network of cryptocurrency kiosks in North America. Its customers can buy and sell bitcoin, litecoin, and ethereum cryptocurrencies using the BTM kiosk network and other services. The company also engages in the sale of cryptocurrency to consumers at a network of retail locations through its BDCheckout product offering, as well as its website through over-the-counter trade. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Bitcoin Depot Inc. is a subsidiary of BT Assets, Inc.