Head-To-Head Comparison: AmeriServ Financial (ASRV) vs. The Competition

AmeriServ Financial (NASDAQ:ASRV) is one of 131 public companies in the “BANKS – NORTHEAST” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare AmeriServ Financial to related companies based on the strength of its risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

31.5% of AmeriServ Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.6% of shares of all “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies are held by institutional investors. 7.6% of AmeriServ Financial shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.9% of shares of all “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares AmeriServ Financial and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AmeriServ Financial	6.35%	4.93%	0.39%
AmeriServ Financial Competitors	14.38%	9.03%	0.95%

Dividends

AmeriServ Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. AmeriServ Financial pays out 35.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.4% and pay out 30.0% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Volatility & Risk

AmeriServ Financial has a beta of 0.44, meaning that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AmeriServ Financial’s peers have a beta of 0.48, meaning that their average share price is 52% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares AmeriServ Financial and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
AmeriServ Financial	$59.25 million	$5.61 million	11.59
AmeriServ Financial Competitors	$489.61 million	$72.56 million	6.70

AmeriServ Financial’s peers have higher revenue and earnings than AmeriServ Financial. AmeriServ Financial is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for AmeriServ Financial and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AmeriServ Financial	0	0	1	0	3.00
AmeriServ Financial Competitors	680	3237	2517	165	2.33

As a group, “BANKS – NORTHEAST” companies have a potential upside of 3.89%. Given AmeriServ Financial’s peers higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe AmeriServ Financial has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Summary

AmeriServ Financial peers beat AmeriServ Financial on 11 of the 15 factors compared.

About AmeriServ Financial

AmeriServ Financial, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of consumer, mortgage and commercial financial products and services through its subsidiary. It operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Investment or Parent. The Community Banking segment includes both retail and commercial banking activities. The Wealth Management segment involves in the operations of a Trust Company, West Chester Capital Advisors an investment advisory firm, and Financial Services. The Investment or Parent segment offers investment securities, borrowing activities, and general corporate expenses. The company was founded in January 1983 and is headquartered in Johnstown, PA.