Head to Head Comparison: Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) vs. Virginia National Bankshares (NASDAQ:VABK)

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) and Virginia National Bankshares (NASDAQ:VABK) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Volatility & Risk

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.77, suggesting that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Virginia National Bankshares has a beta of 0.46, suggesting that its share price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Nicolet Bankshares and Virginia National Bankshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares	23.83%	10.95%	1.41%
Virginia National Bankshares	20.32%	10.77%	1.06%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Nicolet Bankshares and Virginia National Bankshares”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Nicolet Bankshares	$350.33 million	5.20	$124.06 million	$8.03	14.92
Virginia National Bankshares	$53.06 million	3.68	$16.97 million	$3.15	11.55

Nicolet Bankshares has higher revenue and earnings than Virginia National Bankshares. Virginia National Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nicolet Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 37.4% of Virginia National Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. 16.4% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.9% of Virginia National Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Virginia National Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 13.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Virginia National Bankshares pays out 41.9% 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Nicolet Bankshares and Virginia National Bankshares, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares	0	3	2	0	2.40
Virginia National Bankshares	0	0	0	0	0.00

Nicolet Bankshares presently has a consensus price target of $119.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.70%. Given Nicolet Bankshares’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Nicolet Bankshares is more favorable than Virginia National Bankshares.

Summary

Nicolet Bankshares beats Virginia National Bankshares on 15 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Nicolet Bankshares

Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Nicolet National Bank that provides banking products and services for businesses and individuals in Wisconsin and Michigan. The company accepts checking, savings, and money market accounts; various certificates of deposit; and individual retirement accounts. It also offers commercial loans, including commercial, industrial, and business loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate loans; agricultural (AG) production and AG real estate loans; commercial real estate investment real estate loans; construction and land development loans; residential real estate loans, such as residential first lien and junior lien mortgages, home equity loans, lines of credit, and residential construction loans; and consumer loans. In addition, the company provides cash management, international banking, personal brokerage, safe deposit boxes, and trust and fiduciary services, as well as wealth management and retirement plan services. Further, it offers mortgage refinancing; online services, such as commercial, retail, and trust online banking; automated bill payment, mobile banking deposits and account access, and remote deposit capture services; and other services consisting of wire transfers, debit cards, credit cards, pre-paid gift cards, direct deposits, and official bank checks, as well as facilitates crop insurance products. The company was formerly known as Green Bay Financial Corporation and changed its name to Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. in March 2002. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

About Virginia National Bankshares

Virginia National Bankshares Corporation operates as the holding company for Virginia National Bank that provides a range of commercial and retail banking services. The company operates through Bank, Sturman Wealth Advisors, VNB Trust and Estate Services, and Masonry Capital segments. It provides checking accounts, demand deposits, NOW accounts, money market deposit accounts, time deposits, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and other depository services. In addition, the company offers commercial and industrial loans, real estate construction and land loans, commercial real estate loans, and 1-4 family residential mortgages, as well as consumer loans comprising student loans, revolving credit, and other fixed payment loans. Further, it provides automated teller machines, internet banking, treasury, and cash management services; merchant and debit card services; and wealth and investment advisory, and brokerage services. Additionally, the company offers investment management, corporate trustee, trust and estate administration, IRA administration, house investment management, and custody services. It serves individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations in the Charlottesville/Albemarle County, Fauquier County, Manassas, Prince William County, Richmond, and Winchester market areas in Virginia. Virginia National Bankshares Corporation was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia.