Reviewing Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) & Community Investors Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CIBN)

Community Investors Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CIBN) and Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Community Investors Bancorp and Finward Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Community Investors Bancorp	6.37%	N/A	N/A
Finward Bancorp	10.44%	7.60%	0.55%

Volatility and Risk

Community Investors Bancorp has a beta of 0.25, suggesting that its share price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Finward Bancorp has a beta of 0.52, suggesting that its share price is 48% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Community Investors Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Finward Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. Community Investors Bancorp pays out 26.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Finward Bancorp pays out 17.8% 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.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Community Investors Bancorp and Finward Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Community Investors Bancorp	$17.26 million	0.81	$1.14 million	$1.49	11.81
Finward Bancorp	$70.21 million	1.77	$8.38 million	$2.69	10.70

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

26.6% of Finward Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 15.8% of Community Investors Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.2% of Finward Bancorp shares are held 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.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Community Investors Bancorp and Finward Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Community Investors Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00
Finward Bancorp	0	0	1	0	3.00

Finward Bancorp has a consensus target price of $31.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.68%. Given Finward Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Finward Bancorp is more favorable than Community Investors Bancorp.

Summary

Finward Bancorp beats Community Investors Bancorp on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Community Investors Bancorp

Community Investors Bancorp, Inc. operates as a thrift holding company for First Federal Community Bank of Bucyrus that engages in the provision of banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in northern Ohio. The company offers deposit accounts, including demand, NOW, checking, savings, money market, Christmas club, health savings, certificates of deposit, time deposit, and individual retirement accounts. It also provides consumer loans, home equity loans, home equity line of credit, auto and RV loans, residential real estate loans, mortgage loans, and construction loans for personal use; and business loans, lines of credit, term loans, ag loans, nonresidential real estate loans, secured loans, credit cards, commercial investment real estate, construction loans, and equipment financing for business use. In addition, the company offers online and mobile banking, bill payments, e-statements, remote deposit capture, cash management, mobile and night deposits, debit cards, overdraft protection, safety deposit boxes, telephone banking, positive pay/check reconciliation, direct deposit, and ACH and payroll services. Community Investors Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is based in Bucyrus, Ohio.

About Finward Bancorp

Finward Bancorp operates as the holding company for Peoples Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company’s deposit products include non-interest- and interest-bearing demand accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, certificate accounts, and retirement savings plans. Its loan products portfolio comprises residential mortgage loans that enable borrowers to purchase existing homes, refinance existing homes, or construct new homes; construction loans primarily to individuals and contractors; commercial real estate loans; consumer loans to individuals for personal, household, or family purposes; home equity line of credit; home improvement loans and equity loans; commercial business loans; government loans; and loans to municipalities. The company also offers estate and retirement planning, custodial services, guardianships, IRA accounts, and investment agency accounts, as well as serves as the personal representative of estates, and acts as trustee for revocable and irrevocable trusts. In addition, it provides insurance and annuity investments to wealth management customers; holds real estate properties; and operates as a real estate investment trust. The company was formerly known as NorthWest Indiana Bancorp and changed its name to Finward Bancorp in May 2021. Finward Bancorp was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Munster, Indiana.