Provident Financial Services (NYSE:PFS) and SouthCrest Financial Group (OTCMKTS:SCSG) Financial Comparison

Provident Financial Services (NYSE:PFS) and SouthCrest Financial Group (OTCMKTS:SCSG) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, earnings, risk and dividends.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

72.0% of Provident Financial Services shares are held by institutional investors. 3.1% of Provident Financial Services shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Provident Financial Services and SouthCrest Financial Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Provident Financial Services	0	3	3	1	2.71
SouthCrest Financial Group	0	0	0	0	0.00

Provident Financial Services currently has a consensus price target of $22.70, indicating a potential upside of 16.81%. Given Provident Financial Services’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Provident Financial Services is more favorable than SouthCrest Financial Group.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Provident Financial Services and SouthCrest Financial Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Provident Financial Services	$850.59 million	2.98	$115.53 million	$1.96	9.91
SouthCrest Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Provident Financial Services has higher revenue and earnings than SouthCrest Financial Group.

Profitability

This table compares Provident Financial Services and SouthCrest Financial Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Provident Financial Services	18.76%	9.72%	1.06%
SouthCrest Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Provident Financial Services beats SouthCrest Financial Group on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Provident Financial Services

Provident Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. Its deposit products include savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as IRA products. The company's loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans that are secured by properties, such as multi-family apartment buildings, office buildings, retail and industrial properties, and office buildings; commercial business loans; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans collateralized by one- to four-family residential real estate properties; commercial construction loans; and consumer loans consisting of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, personal loans and unsecured lines of credit, and auto and recreational vehicle loans. It also offers cash management, remote deposit capture, payroll origination, escrow account management, and online and mobile banking services; and business credit cards. In addition, the company provides wealth management services comprising investment management, trust and estate administration, financial planning, and tax compliance and planning. Further, it sells insurance and investment products, including annuities; operates as a real estate investment trust for acquiring mortgage loans and other real estate related assets; and manages and sells real estate properties acquired through foreclosure. The company was founded in 1839 and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.

About SouthCrest Financial Group

SouthCrest Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for SouthCrest Bank, N.A. that provides various banking products and services. It offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; and certificates of deposit. The company also provides personal loans for cars, boats, recreational vehicles, and other purchases; home equity lines of credit; loans on investment properties; owner occupied real estate, acquisition construction and development, professional practice acquisition, equipment and inventory, construction to permanent, and investment real estate loans; and working capital and lines of credit. In addition, it offers credit cards; remote deposit capture, positive pay, ACH, online wires, merchant, and reorder checks services; and online banking, online bill pay, mobile banking and deposit, and telephone banking services. The company serves retail, private, entrepreneurial, high-net-worth, and commercial customers. It operates through 9 branches in Georgia. SouthCrest Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.