Reviewing Hingham Institution for Savings (NASDAQ:HIFS) & West Shore Bank (OTCMKTS:WSSH)

Hingham Institution for Savings (NASDAQ:HIFS) and West Shore Bank (OTCMKTS:WSSH) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, risk and dividends.

Risk and Volatility

Hingham Institution for Savings has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, West Shore Bank has a beta of 0.01, suggesting that its stock price is 99% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

49.3% of Hingham Institution for Savings shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Hingham Institution for Savings pays an annual dividend of $2.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. West Shore Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Hingham Institution for Savings pays out 8.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Hingham Institution for Savings and West Shore Bank, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hingham Institution for Savings	0	0	1	0	3.00
West Shore Bank	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares Hingham Institution for Savings and West Shore Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hingham Institution for Savings	25.94%	8.43%	0.88%
West Shore Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Hingham Institution for Savings and West Shore Bank”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hingham Institution for Savings	$236.78 million	2.62	$54.55 million	$30.02	9.46
West Shore Bank	$48.89 million	1.08	$6.25 million	N/A	N/A

Hingham Institution for Savings has higher revenue and earnings than West Shore Bank.

Summary

Hingham Institution for Savings beats West Shore Bank on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hingham Institution for Savings

Hingham Institution for Savings provides various financial products and services to individuals and small businesses in the United States. It offers savings, checking, money market, demand, and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company provides commercial and residential real estate, construction, home equity, commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans. In addition, it offers ATMs, debit cards, and Internet-based banking services. The company offers its services through a network of offices in Boston; Washington, D.C.; and San Francisco Bay Area. Hingham Institution for Savings was incorporated in 1834 and is headquartered in Hingham, Massachusetts.

About West Shore Bank

West Shore Bank Corp. operates as the bank holding company for West Shore Bank that provides various banking products and services for individuals and businesses. The company accepts checking, saving, money market, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. Its loan products include auto, recreational, personal term, commercial real estate, small business administration, municipal, business term, and home mortgage and equity loans; business lines of credit; and letters of credit. The company also offers ATM/debit, credit, and gift and travel cards; wealth planning process, investment management, trusts and estates, retirement planning, west shore investment services; savings bonds; and direct deposit, overdraft, safe deposit boxes, wire transfer, remote deposit capture, merchant card, ACH and wire, sweep accounts, positive pay, bill pay, and online and mobile banking services. The company was founded in 1898 and is based in Ludington, Michigan.