Contrasting First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) & Prime Meridian (OTCMKTS:PMHG)

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

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Prime Meridian	16.86%	10.05%	0.95%
First Western Financial	4.70%	3.43%	0.29%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Prime Meridian and First Western Financial”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Prime Meridian	$50.36 million	1.87	$8.49 million	$2.56	11.05
First Western Financial	$180.33 million	1.10	$8.47 million	$0.87	23.60

Prime Meridian has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Western Financial. Prime Meridian is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Western Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

11.8% of Prime Meridian shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 60.3% of First Western Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 25.9% of Prime Meridian shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 17.9% of First Western Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Prime Meridian and First Western Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Prime Meridian	0	0	0	0	0.00
First Western Financial	0	1	2	0	2.67

First Western Financial has a consensus price target of $23.33, indicating a potential upside of 13.65%. Given First Western Financial’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Western Financial is more favorable than Prime Meridian.

Volatility & Risk

Prime Meridian has a beta of 0.51, indicating that its share price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Western Financial has a beta of 0.69, indicating that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.

About Prime Meridian

Prime Meridian Holding Company operates as the bank holding company for Prime Meridian Bank that provides various consumer and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses. The company accepts various deposits, such as checking, money market, savings, term certificate of deposit, demand interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing, health savings, NOW, and escrow accounts, as well as retirement savings plans and time deposits. Its loan products include commercial real estate, residential real estate and home equity, small business administration, construction, equipment, and commercial loans; and consumer and other loans comprising financing of automobiles, boats, and recreational vehicles, as well as issues standby letters and business lines of credit. The company also offers debit and credit cards; mobile banking, remote and mobile deposit, Apple Pay, bank-to-bank transfer, and online banking services; and safe deposit, wire transfer, foreign exchange, direct deposits, notary, night depository, official checks, domestic collections, bank drafts, automated teller services, drive-in tellers, merchant card, and banking by mail services, as well as invests in securities. Prime Meridian Holding Company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.

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.