Head to Head Survey: Trustmark (NASDAQ:TRMK) versus Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST)

Trustmark (NASDAQ:TRMK) and Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Trustmark and Catalyst Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Trustmark	0	3	2	0	2.40
Catalyst Bancorp	0	1	0	0	2.00

Trustmark currently has a consensus price target of $43.83, indicating a potential downside of 2.00%. Given Trustmark’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Trustmark is more favorable than Catalyst Bancorp.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Trustmark and Catalyst Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Trustmark	$1.12 billion	2.39	$224.13 million	$3.71	12.06
Catalyst Bancorp	$23.69 million	2.78	$2.05 million	$0.56	28.59

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

Profitability

This table compares Trustmark and Catalyst Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Trustmark	19.95%	10.77%	1.20%
Catalyst Bancorp	13.26%	2.53%	0.74%

Volatility and Risk

Trustmark has a beta of 0.69, meaning that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Catalyst Bancorp has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

67.6% of Trustmark shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Trustmark shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.9% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Trustmark beats Catalyst Bancorp on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Trustmark

Trustmark Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Trustmark National Bank that provides banking and other financial solutions to individuals and corporate institutions in the United States. The company operates through three segments: General Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. It offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; certificates of deposits and individual retirement accounts; financing for commercial and industrial projects, income-producing commercial real estate, owner-occupied real estate, and construction and land development; and installment and real estate loans, and lines of credit, as well as treasury management services. The company also provides mortgage banking services, including construction financing, production of conventional and government-insured mortgages, and secondary marketing and mortgage servicing. In addition, it provides wealth management and trust services, such as administration of personal trusts and estates; management of investment accounts for individuals, employee benefit plans, and charitable foundations; and corporate trust and institutional custody, securities brokerage, financial and estate planning, retirement plan, and investment management services. Further, the company offers business insurance products and services for medical professionals, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, real estate, and group life and health plans; and life and health insurance, and personal line policies for individual customers. Trustmark Corporation was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi.

About Catalyst Bancorp

Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Catalyst Bank that provides various banking services to individuals and businesses in Louisiana. The company accepts various deposit products, including savings accounts, demand and NOW accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. It also offers single family residential first mortgage loans, commercial real estate mortgage loans, multi-family residential mortgage loans, commercial and industrial loans, construction and land loans, consumer loans, and other loans. In addition, the company invests in various types of securities comprising mortgage-backed securities, the U.S. treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies and of state and municipal governments, certificates of deposit at federally insured banks and savings institutions, and federal funds. Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Opelousas, Louisiana.