Head-To-Head Comparison: First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) versus BEO Bancorp (OTCMKTS:BEOB)

First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) and BEO Bancorp (OTCMKTS:BEOB) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, profitability and dividends.

Risk & Volatility

First Western Financial has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BEO Bancorp has a beta of 0.29, suggesting that its stock price is 71% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

60.3% of First Western Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 17.9% of First Western Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares First Western Financial and BEO Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Western Financial	4.70%	3.43%	0.29%
BEO Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares First Western Financial and BEO Bancorp”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Western Financial	$92.00 million	2.19	$8.47 million	$0.87	23.93
BEO Bancorp	$51.01 million	2.03	$14.21 million	N/A	N/A

BEO Bancorp has lower revenue, but higher earnings than First Western Financial.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for First Western Financial and BEO Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Western Financial	0	1	2	0	2.67
BEO Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00

First Western Financial presently has a consensus target price of $23.33, indicating a potential upside of 12.07%. Given First Western Financial’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Western Financial is more favorable than BEO Bancorp.

Summary

First Western Financial beats BEO Bancorp on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Western Financial

First Western Financial, Inc., a financial holding company, provides wealth advisory, private baking, personal trust, investment management, mortgage lending, and institutional asset management services. The company operates through two segments: Wealth Management and Mortgage. The Wealth Management segment provides deposit, loan, life insurance, and trust and investment management advisory products and services. The Mortgage segment engages in soliciting, originating, and selling mortgage loans into the secondary market. It serves entrepreneurs, professionals, high net worth individuals or families, and business and philanthropic organizations. First Western Financial, Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

About BEO Bancorp

BEO Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Bank of Eastern Oregon that provides commercial and consumer financing, banking and mortgage lending, and other services in Northeastern Oregon and Southeastern Washington. The company offers checking, money market, time deposits, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposit. It also provides commercial, agricultural, real estate, installment, credit card, mortgage, term, home, construction, farm, and refinancing loans; lines of credit; home enhancement loan programs; Internet banking and bill payment services; business sweep and banking services; and automated teller machines and safe deposit facilities, as well as originates and sells mortgage loans into the secondary market. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Heppner, Oregon.