Contrasting Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) & NSTS Bancorp (NASDAQ:NSTS)

NSTS Bancorp (NASDAQ:NSTS) and Catalyst Bancorp (NASDAQ:CLST) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares NSTS Bancorp and Catalyst Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NSTS Bancorp	-1.83%	-0.19%	-0.06%
Catalyst Bancorp	5.35%	0.71%	0.23%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for NSTS Bancorp and Catalyst Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NSTS Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A
Catalyst Bancorp	0	0	0	0	N/A

Institutional and Insider Ownership

23.7% of NSTS Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.1% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.0% of NSTS Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Catalyst Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

NSTS Bancorp has a beta of 0.09, indicating that its share price is 91% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Catalyst Bancorp has a beta of 0.13, indicating that its share price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares NSTS Bancorp and Catalyst Bancorp’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NSTS Bancorp	$7.58 million	6.70	$30,000.00	($0.04)	-238.50
Catalyst Bancorp	$11.25 million	5.02	$600,000.00	$0.14	84.64

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

Summary

Catalyst Bancorp beats NSTS Bancorp on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NSTS Bancorp

NSTS Bancorp, Inc. operates as a savings and loan holding company for North Shore Trust and Savings that provides banking products and services in Illinois. The company offers interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking, money market, savings, and time deposit accounts; and one- to four-family residential mortgage, multi-family and commercial real estate mortgage, construction, home equity, and consumer loans. It operates through full-service banking offices in Lake County, Illinois; and one loan production office in Chicago. The company was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois.

About Catalyst Bancorp

Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Catalyst Bank that provides various banking services to individuals and corporate customers. The company accepts various deposit products, including savings accounts, demand and NOW accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. It also offers single-family residential first mortgage loans, commercial real estate mortgage loans, multi-family residential mortgage loans, commercial and industrial loans, construction and land loans, consumer loans, and other loans. In addition, the company invests in various types of securities comprising mortgage-backed securities, the U.S. treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies and of state and municipal governments, certificates of deposit at federally insured banks and savings institutions, and federal funds. It operates through full-service branches located in Carencro, Eunice, Lafayette, Opelousas, and Port Barre. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Opelousas, Louisiana.