First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) vs. U.S.A Bank (OTCMKTS:USBK) Financial Comparison

U.S.A Bank (OTCMKTS:USBK) and First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

U.S.A Bank has a beta of -24.99, meaning that its share price is 2,599% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Western Financial has a beta of 0.62, meaning that its share price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares U.S.A Bank and First Western Financial”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
U.S.A Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Western Financial	$89.25 million	2.05	$5.22 million	$0.77	24.70

First Western Financial has higher revenue and earnings than U.S.A Bank.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

60.3% of First Western Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.9% of First Western Financial shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares U.S.A Bank and First Western Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
U.S.A Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Western Financial	3.93%	2.86%	0.24%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for U.S.A Bank and First Western Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
U.S.A Bank	0	0	0	0	N/A
First Western Financial	0	1	2	0	2.67

First Western Financial has a consensus price target of $22.17, suggesting a potential upside of 16.54%. Given First Western Financial’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Western Financial is more favorable than U.S.A Bank.

Summary

First Western Financial beats U.S.A Bank on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About U.S.A Bank

As of July 10, 2010, U.S.A Bank was acquired by Customers Bank (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania). U.S.A Bank operates as a community bank in New York. It offers deposit products, Internet banking, ATM cards, consumer loans, and residential and commercial loans. U.S.A Bank was founded in 2005 and is based in Port Chester, New York.

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.