Financial Survey: Bank of Marin Bancorp (NASDAQ:BMRC) versus California First Leasing (OTCMKTS:CFNBD)

California First Leasing (OTCMKTS:CFNBD) and Bank of Marin Bancorp (NASDAQ:BMRC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for California First Leasing and Bank of Marin Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
California First Leasing	0	0	0	0	0.00
Bank of Marin Bancorp	0	4	2	0	2.33

Bank of Marin Bancorp has a consensus target price of $28.40, suggesting a potential downside of 0.14%. Given Bank of Marin Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Bank of Marin Bancorp is more favorable than California First Leasing.

Risk & Volatility

California First Leasing has a beta of 0.29, indicating that its share price is 71% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bank of Marin Bancorp has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

6.5% of California First Leasing shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.3% of Bank of Marin Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 92.2% of California First Leasing shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.9% of Bank of Marin Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares California First Leasing and Bank of Marin Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
California First Leasing	$30.12 million	10.14	$20.27 million	N/A	N/A
Bank of Marin Bancorp	$163.98 million	2.81	-$35.67 million	($2.02)	-14.08

California First Leasing has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Bank of Marin Bancorp.

Profitability

This table compares California First Leasing and Bank of Marin Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
California First Leasing	N/A	N/A	N/A
Bank of Marin Bancorp	-18.58%	7.20%	0.78%

Summary

Bank of Marin Bancorp beats California First Leasing on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About California First Leasing

California First Leasing Corporation provides loans and lease financing for universities, businesses, and other commercial or non-profit organizations. The company was formerly known as California First National Bancorp and changed its name to California First Leasing Corporation in February 2021. California First Leasing Corporation was founded in 1977 and is based in Newport Beach, California.

About Bank of Marin Bancorp

Bank of Marin Bancorp operates as the holding company for Bank of Marin that provides a range of financial services primarily to small to medium-sized businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and commercial real estate investors in the United States. The company offers personal and business checking and savings accounts; and individual retirement, health savings, and demand deposit marketplace accounts, as well as time certificates of deposit, certificate of deposit account registry, and insured cash sweep services. It also provides commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, and consumer loans, as well as construction financing and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company offers merchant and payroll services; commercial equipment leasing program; payment solutions; treasury management services; credit cards; and mobile deposit, remote deposit capture, automated clearing house, wire transfer, and image lockbox services. Further, it provides wealth management and trust services comprising customized investment portfolio management, financial planning, trust administration, estate settlement, and custody services, as well as 401(k) plan services; and automated teller machines, and telephone and digital banking services. The company was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in Novato, California.