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 Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services or Inc. 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 Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc.

Eastern Bankshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Eastern Bank that provides banking, trust, and investment services to retail, commercial, and small business customers in the United States. The company offers deposit accounts, interest checking accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and time certificates of deposit accounts. It also provides commercial and industrial products, such as asset based lending portfolio; commercial real estate and construction; small business, residential real estate, and home equity loans; lines of credit; and other consumer loans comprising unsecured personal lines of credit, overdraft protection, automobile loans, home improvement loans, airplane loans, and other personal loans. In addition, the company offers wealth management and trust services, financial planning, and portfolio management; and automated lock box collection, cash management, and account reconciliation services. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. was founded in 1818 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. Its deposit products include savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as IRA products. The company’s loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans that are secured by properties, such as multi-family apartment buildings, retail and industrial properties, and office buildings; commercial business loans; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans collateralized by one- to four-family residential real estate properties; residential mortgage loans; commercial construction loans; and consumer loans consisting of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, personal loans and unsecured lines of credit, and auto and recreational vehicle loans. It also offers cash management, remote deposit capture, payroll origination, escrow account management, and online and mobile banking services; and business credit cards. In addition, the company provides wealth management services comprising investment management, trust and estate administration, financial planning, and tax compliance and planning; and insurance agency operations. Further, it sells insurance and investment products, including annuities; and manages and sells real estate properties acquired through foreclosure. The company was founded in 1839 and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Latest Banks and Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services, Inc. Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. had a $5.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $716.9 million. Eastern Bankshares, Inc.’s stock is up 24.6% in 2026, up 0.2% in the previous five trading days and up 46.43% in the past year.

Currently, Eastern Bankshares, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 13.0. Eastern Bankshares, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.0 billion with a 34.3% net profit margin. As of July 31, 2026, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. has not reported significant year-over-year quarterly sales. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.872 per share for the current fiscal year. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. currently has a 2.6% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, Provident Financial Services, Inc. had a $3.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 60th percentile of all stocks. Provident Financial Services, Inc.’s stock is up 25% in 2026, up 3.3% in the previous five trading days and up 33.77% in the past year.

Currently, Provident Financial Services, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 10.5. Provident Financial Services, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $886.0 million with a 35.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 9.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.450 per share for the current fiscal year. Provident Financial Services, Inc. currently has a 3.9% dividend yield.

How We Compare Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc. 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 Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Eastern Bankshares, Inc.	EBC	B
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	C

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.

Eastern Bankshares, Inc. has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong. Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Growth Score of 59, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: Eastern Bankshares, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Provident Financial Services, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. 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.

Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Eastern Bankshares, Inc.	EBC	B
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	B

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%.

Eastern Bankshares, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 76, which is Strong. Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 68, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Momentum Grade breakdown above, both Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc. have a grade of B. For those who focus solely on a company’s momentum, further research will need to be conducted into both companies to see if they fit your individual needs as an investor.

Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Eastern Bankshares, Inc.	EBC	D
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	B

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.

Eastern Bankshares, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 36, which is Negative. Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 80, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Provident Financial Services, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Eastern Bankshares, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Provident Financial Services, Inc. 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 Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc. Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Growth and Momentum, 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 Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 73, Momentum Score of 76 and Estimate Revisions Score of 36.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 59, Momentum Score of 68 and Estimate Revisions Score of 80.

Comparing Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Provident Financial Services and Inc.’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.