First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) vs. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) Financial Review

First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Dividends

First Citizens BancShares pays an annual dividend of $8.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. First Citizens BancShares pays out 5.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida pays out 47.5% 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. First Citizens BancShares has raised its dividend for 8 consecutive years and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for First Citizens BancShares and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Citizens BancShares	0	8	4	2	2.57
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	0	4	3	0	2.43

First Citizens BancShares presently has a consensus target price of $2,227.08, suggesting a potential upside of 8.43%. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a consensus target price of $31.90, suggesting a potential downside of 1.09%. Given First Citizens BancShares’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe First Citizens BancShares is more favorable than Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida.

Volatility and Risk

First Citizens BancShares has a beta of 0.65, suggesting that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its share price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

78.0% of First Citizens BancShares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.8% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are held by institutional investors. 14.6% of First Citizens BancShares shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares First Citizens BancShares and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Citizens BancShares	15.21%	11.18%	1.03%
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	15.47%	7.07%	0.98%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares First Citizens BancShares and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Citizens BancShares	$14.51 billion	1.69	$2.21 billion	$165.72	12.39
Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida	$652.63 million	4.83	$144.88 million	$1.60	20.16

First Citizens BancShares has higher revenue and earnings than Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida. First Citizens BancShares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

First Citizens BancShares beats Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Citizens BancShares

First Citizens BancShares, Inc. operates as the holding company for First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, and professionals. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, money market, and time deposit accounts. Its loan product portfolio comprises commercial construction and mortgage; and commercial and industrial leases, as well as small business administration loans. In addition, the company offers consumer loans, such as residential and revolving mortgage, consumer auto, and other consumer loans. Further, it provides wealth management services, including annuities, brokerage services, and third-party mutual funds, as well as investment management and advisory services. The company provides its products and services through its branch network. First Citizens BancShares, Inc. was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

About Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of integrated financial services. It provides banking and investment services to businesses and consumers, including personal and business deposit products, Internet and mobile banking, personal, commercial and mortgage loans, wealth management services, and treasury management solutions. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Stuart, FL.