Head to Head Analysis: Credit Agricole (OTCMKTS:CRARY) vs. NBT Bancorp (NASDAQ:NBTB)

Credit Agricole (OTCMKTS:CRARY) and NBT Bancorp (NASDAQ:NBTB) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Risk & Volatility

Credit Agricole has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NBT Bancorp has a beta of 0.49, meaning that its stock price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Credit Agricole and NBT Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Credit Agricole	23.39%	31.64%	1.14%
NBT Bancorp	22.58%	11.27%	1.33%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.6% of Credit Agricole shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 58.5% of NBT Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 3.0% of NBT Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Credit Agricole and NBT Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Credit Agricole	$31.76 billion	1.67	$8.00 billion	$1.12	7.75
NBT Bancorp	$906.48 million	2.91	$169.24 million	$4.09	12.43

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

Dividends

Credit Agricole pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.9%. NBT Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Credit Agricole pays out 53.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. NBT Bancorp pays out 39.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. NBT Bancorp has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Credit Agricole and NBT Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Credit Agricole	0	4	1	0	2.20
NBT Bancorp	0	5	3	0	2.38

NBT Bancorp has a consensus price target of $54.10, suggesting a potential upside of 6.39%. Given NBT Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe NBT Bancorp is more favorable than Credit Agricole.

Summary

NBT Bancorp beats Credit Agricole on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Credit Agricole

Crédit Agricole S.A. provides retail, corporate, insurance, and investment banking products and services in France and internationally. It operates through French Retail Banking Regional Banks; French Retail Banking – LCL; International Retail Banking; Asset Gathering; Large Customers; and Specialised Financial Services segments. The company offers banking products and services, finance, savings, wealth management, payment, and cash flow management services; consumer finance products; savings/retirement, death and disability/creditor/group, and property and casualty insurance products; investment solutions; and banking and specialized financial services. It also provides investment banking, structured finance, international trade finance, commercial banking, capital market, and syndication services; financing solutions for property and equipment investment and renewal requirements; trade receivable financing and management solutions for corporates; asset servicing solutions for investment products, as well as various asset classes, such as execution, clearing, forex, security lending and borrowing, custody, depositary bank, fund administration, middle-office outsourcing solutions, and fund distribution support and issuer services; and online banking services. The company serves retail customers, corporates, banks and financial institutions, government agencies, and local authorities. Crédit Agricole S.A. was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Montrouge, France. Crédit Agricole S.A. operates as a subsidiary of SAS Rue La Boetie.

About NBT Bancorp

NBT Bancorp Inc., a financial holding company, provides commercial banking, retail banking, and wealth management services. Its deposit products include demand deposit, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises indirect and direct consumer, home equity, mortgages, business banking loans, and commercial loans; commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, agricultural, and commercial construction loans; and residential real estate loans. It also provides trust and investment services; financial planning and life insurance services; and retirement plan administration and recordkeeping services. In addition, the company offers insurance products comprising personal property and casualty, business liability, and commercial insurance, as well as other products and services through 24-hour online, mobile, and telephone channels that enable customers to check balances, make deposits, transfer funds, pay bills, access statements, apply for loans, and access various other products and services. Further, it operates as a property management and passive investment company, as well as investment advisor that provides investment management and financial consulting services. The company operates in upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, Vermont, southern Maine, and central and northwestern Connecticut. NBT Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Norwich, New York.