Head-To-Head Review: Blue Ridge Bankshares (NASDAQ:BRBS) & First Foundation (NASDAQ:FFWM)

by · The Markets Daily

Blue Ridge Bankshares (NASDAQ:BRBSGet Free Report) and First Foundation (NASDAQ:FFWMGet Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and profitability.

Volatility & Risk

Blue Ridge Bankshares has a beta of 0.68, indicating that its share price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Foundation has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

50.5% of Blue Ridge Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.1% of First Foundation shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.0% of Blue Ridge Bankshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.3% of First Foundation 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 and Valuation

This table compares Blue Ridge Bankshares and First Foundation”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Blue Ridge Bankshares$197.54 million1.04-$51.77 million($3.66)-0.76
First Foundation$160.77 million2.17-$199.06 million($3.66)-1.69

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Blue Ridge Bankshares and First Foundation, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell RatingsHold RatingsBuy RatingsStrong Buy RatingsRating Score
Blue Ridge Bankshares0000N/A
First Foundation04102.20

First Foundation has a consensus price target of $7.80, suggesting a potential upside of 26.42%. Given First Foundation’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First Foundation is more favorable than Blue Ridge Bankshares.

Profitability

This table compares Blue Ridge Bankshares and First Foundation’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net MarginsReturn on EquityReturn on Assets
Blue Ridge Bankshares-32.61%-28.09%-1.98%
First Foundation1.34%1.07%0.07%

Summary

First Foundation beats Blue Ridge Bankshares on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Blue Ridge Bankshares

(Get Free Report)

Blue Ridge Bankshares, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for the Blue Ridge Bank, National Association that provides commercial and consumer banking, and financial services. It operates through: Commercial Banking and Mortgage Banking segments. The company accepts checking, savings, money market, cash management, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also offers commercial and industrial, residential mortgages, commercial mortgages, home equity, consumer installment, and guaranteed government loans; and residential mortgage loans and mortgages loans on real estate. In addition, it provides wire, direct deposit payroll, remote deposit, electronic statement, and other services; and property and casualty insurance products to individuals and businesses, as well as online, mobile, and telephone banking services. Further, the company offers employee benefit plans and administration services; management services for personal and corporate trusts, including estate planning and settlement, and trust administration, investment and wealth management services. It operates in Callao, Charlottesville, Chester, Colonial Heights, Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Gordonsville, Harrisonburg, Hartfield, Henrico, Kilmarnock, Louisa, Luray, Martinsville, Midlothian, Mineral, Montross, Orange, Petersburg, Richmond, Shenandoah, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Warsaw, and White Stone, Virginia; and Greensboro, North Carolina. The company was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia.

About First Foundation

(Get Free Report)

First Foundation Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides banking services, investment advisory, wealth management, and trust services to individuals, businesses, and other organizations in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Banking and Wealth Management. It offers a range of deposit products, including personal and business checking accounts, savings accounts, interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, money market accounts, and time certificate of deposits; and loan products consisting of multifamily and single family residential real estate loans, commercial real estate loans, commercial term loans, and line of credits, as well as consumer loans, such as personal installment loans and line of credits, and home equity line of credits. The company also provides various specialized services comprising trust services, online and mobile banking, remote deposit capture services, merchant credit card services, ATM cards, Visa debit cards, and business sweep accounts, as well as insurance brokerage services and equipment financing solutions. In addition, it offers investment management and financial planning services; financial, investment, and economic advisory and related services; and treasury management services, such as bill pay, check/payee/ACH positive pay, wire origination, internal and external transfers, account reconciliation reporting, mobile deposit, lockbox, cash vault services and merchant processing. Further, the company provides support services, including the processing and transmission of financial and economic data for charitable organizations. It operates through a network of branch offices and loan production offices. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.