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

About Provident Financial Services, Inc. and Ameris Bancorp

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.

Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides various banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through four segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts. It also provides commercial real estate, residential real estate mortgage, agricultural, and commercial and industrial loans; consumer loans, including home improvement and home equity loans, as well as loans secured by savings accounts and personal credit lines. In addition, the company originates, administers, and services commercial insurance premium loans; equipment finance loans; and small business administration loans. Further, it operates full-service domestic banking offices, and mortgage and loan production offices. Ameris Bancorp was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Latest Banks and Provident Financial Services, Inc., Ameris Bancorp Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Provident Financial Services, Inc. had a $3.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $716.9 million. 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.

As of July 31, 2026, Ameris Bancorp had a $5.8 billion market cap, putting it in the 69th percentile of all stocks. Ameris Bancorp’s stock is up 17.4% in 2026, down 0.6% in the previous five trading days and up 27.07% in the past year.

Currently, Ameris Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 13.7. Ameris Bancorp’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.2 billion with a 31.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 12.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.636 per share for the current fiscal year. Ameris Bancorp currently has a 0.9% dividend yield.

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

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Provident Financial Services, Inc. and Ameris Bancorp Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	A
Ameris Bancorp	ABCB	B

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 Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Value Score of 82, which is Deep Value. Ameris Bancorp has a Value Score of 63, which is Value.

The Value Stock Winner: Provident Financial Services, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, Provident Financial Services, Inc. is considered to have better value than Ameris Bancorp. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, Provident Financial Services, 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.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. and Ameris Bancorp’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	D
Ameris Bancorp	ABCB	D

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks 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 the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Quality Score of 22, which is Weak. Ameris Bancorp has a Quality Score of 30, which is Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Provident Financial Services, Inc. or Ameris Bancorp has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Provident Financial Services, Inc. or Ameris Bancorp is the better investment when it comes to quality.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. and Ameris Bancorp’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Provident Financial Services, Inc.	PFS	B
Ameris Bancorp	ABCB	C

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%.

Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 68, which is Strong. Ameris Bancorp has a Momentum Score of 58, which is Average.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Provident Financial Services, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Provident Financial Services, Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Ameris Bancorp. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Provident Financial Services, Inc. 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.

Other Provident Financial Services, Inc. and Ameris Bancorp Grades

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

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

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

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 Provident Financial Services, Inc. and Ameris Bancorp pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Provident Financial Services, Inc. or Ameris Bancorp Stock?

Overall, Provident Financial Services, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 82, Momentum Score of 68 and Quality Score of 22.

Ameris Bancorp stock has a Value Score of 63, Momentum Score of 58 and Quality Score of 30.

Comparing Provident Financial Services, Inc. and Ameris 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.