Financial Analysis: Susquehanna Bancshares (NASDAQ:SUSQ) versus Comerica (NYSE:CMA)

Susquehanna Bancshares (NASDAQ:SUSQ) and Comerica (NYSE:CMA) are both finance, insurance, and real estate companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Susquehanna Bancshares and Comerica, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Susquehanna Bancshares	0	0	0	0	0.00
Comerica	3	11	8	0	2.23

Comerica has a consensus target price of $68.33, indicating a potential upside of 8.02%. Given Comerica’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Comerica is more favorable than Susquehanna Bancshares.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

80.7% of Comerica shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Comerica shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Susquehanna Bancshares and Comerica”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Susquehanna Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Comerica	$4.99 billion	1.67	$881.00 million	$5.02	12.60

Comerica has higher revenue and earnings than Susquehanna Bancshares.

Profitability

This table compares Susquehanna Bancshares and Comerica’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Susquehanna Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A
Comerica	13.98%	12.04%	0.93%

Summary

Comerica beats Susquehanna Bancshares on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Susquehanna Bancshares

Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company conducts its business operations primarily through its commercial bank subsidiary, Susquehanna Bank, and other subsidiaries in the mid-Atlantic region to provide a range of retail and commercial banking and financial products and services. It provides a range of retail banking services, including checking, savings and club accounts, check cards, debit cards, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, home equity lines of credit, residential mortgage loans, home improvement loans, automobile loans, personal loans, and internet and mobile banking services. It also provides a range of commercial banking services, including business checking accounts, cash management services, money market accounts, land acquisition and development loans, commercial loans, floor plan, equipment and working capital lines of credit, small business loans and internet banking services.

About Comerica

Comerica Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services. The company operates through Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, Wealth Management, and Finance segments. The Commercial Bank segment offers various products and services, including commercial loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, payment solutions, card services, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services for small and middle market businesses, multinational corporations, and governmental entities. The Retail Bank segment provides personal financial services, such as consumer lending, consumer deposit gathering, and mortgage loan origination; and various consumer products that include deposit accounts, installment loans, credit cards, student loans, home equity lines of credit, and residential mortgage loans. The Wealth Management segment offers products and services comprising financial planning, trust and fiduciary services, investment management and advisory, brokerage, private banking, and business transition planning services for affluents, high-net worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, business owners, and executives, and institutional clients. The Finance segment comprises securities portfolio, and asset and liability management activities. It operates in Texas, California, Michigan, Arizona, and Florida, the United States; and Canada and Mexico. The company was formerly known as DETROITBANK Corporation and changed its name to Comerica Incorporated in July 1982. Comerica Incorporated was founded in 1849 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.