Reviewing LINKBANCORP (NASDAQ:LNKB) and Benchmark Bankshares (OTCMKTS:BMBN)

LINKBANCORP (NASDAQ:LNKB) and Benchmark Bankshares (OTCMKTS:BMBN) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and institutional ownership.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

37.5% of LINKBANCORP shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 3.2% of Benchmark Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. 35.8% of LINKBANCORP shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 14.0% of Benchmark Bankshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares LINKBANCORP and Benchmark Bankshares’ gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LINKBANCORP	$66.29 million	3.78	-$11.97 million	($0.26)	-25.81
Benchmark Bankshares	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Benchmark Bankshares has lower revenue, but higher earnings than LINKBANCORP.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for LINKBANCORP and Benchmark Bankshares, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LINKBANCORP	0	1	0	0	2.00
Benchmark Bankshares	0	0	0	0	N/A

LINKBANCORP presently has a consensus price target of $7.50, suggesting a potential upside of 11.77%. Given LINKBANCORP’s higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe LINKBANCORP is more favorable than Benchmark Bankshares.

Volatility & Risk

LINKBANCORP has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Benchmark Bankshares has a beta of 0.28, suggesting that its stock price is 72% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

LINKBANCORP pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Benchmark Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. LINKBANCORP pays out -115.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares LINKBANCORP and Benchmark Bankshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LINKBANCORP	-0.34%	7.06%	0.71%
Benchmark Bankshares	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

LINKBANCORP beats Benchmark Bankshares on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LINKBANCORP

LINKBANCORP, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for The Gratz Bank, that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, nonprofit, and business customers in Pennsylvania. Its deposit products include demand, saving, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposits. The company also offers commercial real estate, commercial business, commercial real estate construction, land development, residential real estate, home equity, consumer, agricultural, and municipal loans. It also provides online banking, mobile banking, direct and remote deposit, and cash management services. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

About Benchmark Bankshares

Benchmark Bankshares, Inc. operates as the holding company for Benchmark Community Bank that provides various banking products and services in the United States. The company accepts various deposits, such as checking, saving, commercial services, and youth accounts. Its loan products include personal, mortgage, other real estate, business, auto, and student loans. The company also offers credit and debit cards; wealth management services comprising financial solutions, financial and retirement planning, and portfolio management, as well as estate, charitable giving, and trust services; and reorder checks, safe deposit boxes, wire transfers, bill pay, and internet and mobile banking services. The company was founded in 1971 and is based in Kenbridge, Virginia.