Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation or Merchants Bancorp because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Atlantic Union Bank that provides banking and related financial products and services to consumers and businesses in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, time deposit, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; and other depository services. The company provides loans for commercial real estate, commercial, industrial, residential mortgage, and consumer purposes, as well as debit and credit cards. In addition, it provides treasury management and capital market, wealth management, private banking, trust, financial and retirement planning, brokerage, investment management, equipment finance, mortgage banking, and insurance products and services. The company offers products and services through full-service branches and ATMs, as well as through its mobile and internet banking. The company was formerly known as Union Bankshares Corporation and changed its name to Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation in May 2019. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Merchants Bancorp operates as the diversified bank holding company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Multi-family Mortgage Banking, Mortgage Warehousing, and Banking. The Multi-family Mortgage Banking segment engages in the mortgage banking, which originates, and services government sponsored mortgages, including bridge financing products to refinance, acquire, or reposition multi-family housing projects, and construction lending for housing development and healthcare facilities financing. This segment also offers customized loan products for need-based skilled nursing facilities, such as independent living, assisted living, and memory care; and tax credit equity syndicator service. The Mortgage Warehousing segment funds agency eligible residential loans, as well as commercial loans to non-depository financial institutions. The Banking segment offers a range of financial products and services to consumers and businesses, which includes retail banking, commercial lending, agricultural lending, retail and correspondent residential mortgage banking, and small business administration lending. Merchants Bancorp was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

Latest Banks and Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation, Merchants Bancorp Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation had a $6.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $716.9 million. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation’s stock is up 20.2% in 2026, up 0.5% in the previous five trading days and up 31.65% in the past year.

Currently, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 18.0. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.4 billion with a 32.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 86.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.767 per share for the current fiscal year. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation currently has a 3.5% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, Merchants Bancorp had a $2.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 57th percentile of all stocks. Merchants Bancorp’s stock is up 62% in 2026, up 15.7% in the previous five trading days and up 77.71% in the past year.

Currently, Merchants Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 13.5. Merchants Bancorp’s trailing 12-month revenue is $585.5 million with a 42.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 15.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.443 per share for the current fiscal year. Merchants Bancorp currently has a 0.8% dividend yield.

How We Compare Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation	AUB	B
Merchants Bancorp	MBIN	D

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation has a Growth Score of 64, which is Strong. Merchants Bancorp has a Growth Score of 29, which is Weak.

The Growth Grade Winner: Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation has a more attractive growth grade than Merchants Bancorp. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation	AUB	B
Merchants Bancorp	MBIN	A

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation has a Momentum Score of 69, which is Strong. Merchants Bancorp has a Momentum Score of 87, which is Very Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Merchants Bancorp

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Merchants Bancorp is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Merchants Bancorp could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation	AUB	C
Merchants Bancorp	MBIN	A

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 54, which is Neutral. Merchants Bancorp has a Earnings Estimate Score of 82, which is Very Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Merchants Bancorp

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Merchants Bancorp has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Merchants Bancorp could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Momentum and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation or Merchants Bancorp Stock?

Overall, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 64, Momentum Score of 69 and Estimate Revisions Score of 54.

Merchants Bancorp stock has a Growth Score of 29, Momentum Score of 87 and Estimate Revisions Score of 82.

Comparing Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Merchants Bancorp’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.