Provident Bancorp (NASDAQ:PVBC) and Cullman Bancorp (NASDAQ:CULL) Financial Review

Provident Bancorp (NASDAQ:PVBC) and Cullman Bancorp (NASDAQ:CULL) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and risk.

Dividends

Provident Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Cullman Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Provident Bancorp pays out 6.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cullman Bancorp pays out 22.2% 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.

Profitability

This table compares Provident Bancorp and Cullman Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Provident Bancorp	11.25%	5.06%	0.63%
Cullman Bancorp	18.67%	3.90%	0.95%

Volatility and Risk

Provident Bancorp has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cullman Bancorp has a beta of 0.08, suggesting that its stock price is 92% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Provident Bancorp and Cullman Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Provident Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A
Cullman Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

74.6% of Provident Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 25.7% of Cullman Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.9% of Provident Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 16.8% of Cullman Bancorp shares are owned 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.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Provident Bancorp and Cullman Bancorp’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Provident Bancorp	$64.08 million	2.38	$10.95 million	$0.67	12.90
Cullman Bancorp	$16.89 million	4.47	$3.95 million	$0.54	19.23

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

Summary

Provident Bancorp beats Cullman Bancorp on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Provident Bancorp

Provident Bancorp, Inc. is a Maryland corporation that was formed in 2019 to be the successor corporation to Provident Bancorp, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation, and the holding company for The Provident Bank. The Provident Bank, a subsidiary of Provident Bancorp, Inc. is an innovative, commercial bank that finds solutions for its business and private clients.

About Cullman Bancorp

Cullman Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Cullman Savings Bank that provides various banking products and services in the United States. It offers checking, savings, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts. The company also provides one- to four-family residential real estate, commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, construction, multi-family real estate, and consumer loans; term, line of credit, and agricultural loans; mortgage, home equity, and personal and auto loans; and invests in securities. In addition, it offers debit and credit card services; online banking, automated clearing house, and merchant services; and mobile banking, bill pay, and ATM services. Cullman Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Cullman, Alabama.