SouthCrest Financial Group (OTCMKTS:SCSG) vs. Trustmark (NASDAQ:TRMK) Critical Comparison

SouthCrest Financial Group (OTCMKTS:SCSG) and Trustmark (NASDAQ:TRMK) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares SouthCrest Financial Group and Trustmark”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
SouthCrest Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Trustmark	$1.10 billion	2.21	$165.49 million	$3.31	11.99

Trustmark has higher revenue and earnings than SouthCrest Financial Group.

Profitability

This table compares SouthCrest Financial Group and Trustmark’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
SouthCrest Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Trustmark	17.62%	9.48%	0.92%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

67.6% of Trustmark shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Trustmark shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for SouthCrest Financial Group and Trustmark, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
SouthCrest Financial Group	0	0	0	0	0.00
Trustmark	0	4	1	0	2.20

Trustmark has a consensus target price of $35.20, indicating a potential downside of 11.29%. Given Trustmark’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Trustmark is more favorable than SouthCrest Financial Group.

Summary

Trustmark beats SouthCrest Financial Group on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SouthCrest Financial Group

SouthCrest Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for SouthCrest Bank, N.A. that provides various banking products and services. It offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; and certificates of deposit. The company also provides personal loans for cars, boats, recreational vehicles, and other purchases; home equity lines of credit; loans on investment properties; owner occupied real estate, acquisition construction and development, professional practice acquisition, equipment and inventory, construction to permanent, and investment real estate loans; and working capital and lines of credit. In addition, it offers credit cards; remote deposit capture, positive pay, ACH, online wires, merchant, and reorder checks services; and online banking, online bill pay, mobile banking and deposit, and telephone banking services. The company serves retail, private, entrepreneurial, high-net-worth, and commercial customers. It operates through 9 branches in Georgia. SouthCrest Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

About Trustmark

Trustmark Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Trustmark National Bank that provides banking and other financial solutions to individuals and corporate institutions in the United States. The company operates through three segments: General Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. It offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; certificates of deposits and individual retirement accounts; financing for commercial and industrial projects, income-producing commercial real estate, owner-occupied real estate, and construction and land development; and installment and real estate loans, and lines of credit, as well as treasury management services. The company also provides mortgage banking services, including construction financing, production of conventional and government-insured mortgages, and secondary marketing and mortgage servicing. In addition, it provides wealth management and trust services, such as administration of personal trusts and estates; management of investment accounts for individuals, employee benefit plans, and charitable foundations; and corporate trust and institutional custody, securities brokerage, financial and estate planning, retirement plan, and investment management services. Further, the company offers business insurance products and services for medical professionals, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, real estate, and group life and health plans; and life and health insurance, and personal line policies for individual customers. Trustmark Corporation was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi.