Reviewing Pioneer Bancorp (NASDAQ:PBFS) & Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY)

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

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bank Hapoalim	22.88%	14.65%	1.22%
Pioneer Bancorp	N/A	4.05%	0.58%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Bank Hapoalim and Pioneer Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bank Hapoalim	$12.56 billion	2.78	$2.84 billion	$11.32	11.79
Pioneer Bancorp	$104.65 million	4.29	$13.41 million	$0.54	33.44

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

Volatility & Risk

Bank Hapoalim has a beta of 1.2, meaning that its share price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Pioneer Bancorp has a beta of 0.4, meaning that its share price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Bank Hapoalim and Pioneer Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bank Hapoalim	0	1	0	0	2.00
Pioneer Bancorp	0	0	1	0	3.00

Summary

Bank Hapoalim beats Pioneer Bancorp on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bank Hapoalim

Bank Hapoalim B.M., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking and financial products and services in Israel and internationally. It operates through Household, Private Banking, Small businesses and micro businesses, Mid-sized businesses, Large businesses, Institutional entities, and Financial management segments. The company offers account-management services, lending for various purposes, deposits, and savings plans, and capital-market service; housing loans; research and advisory services; and pension advisory and retirement planning services. It also provides products and services for the expansion of a business, advanced digital services, and a service center specializing in businesses; credit for routine operations and investment financing, guarantees, letters of credit, foreign trade, and transactions in financial and derivative instruments, as well as investment services in various channels, such as foreign currency, shekels, and securities. In addition, the company offers financial services, including foreign-trade financing, financing of working capital, financing of assets overseas, complex financing transactions, syndication, and credit-risk transfers; and financing of construction projects, granting credit to customers, and issuing guarantees to buyers of homes. Further, it provides managers of mutual funds, managers of investment portfolios, and managers of provident funds, study funds, and pension funds; trading activities; underwriting services; and brokerage and custody services. The company serves households, private-banking customers, foreign residents, small businesses, financial-asset managers, middle-market business clients, and large corporations. Bank Hapoalim B.M. was founded in 1921 and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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.