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 Commerce Bancshares, Inc. or First 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 Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Commerce Bank that provides retail, mortgage banking, corporate, investment, trust, and asset management products and services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Commercial, and Wealth. The Retail Banking segment offers various banking products and services, including consumer deposits; consumer loans, such as automobile, motorcycle, marine, tractor/trailer, recreational vehicle, fixed rate and revolving home equity, and other consumer loans; patient health care financing; real estate loans; indirect and other consumer financing; retail branch network; personal mortgage banking; consumer installment lending; and consumer debit and credit bank cards. The Commercial segment provides corporate lending, leasing, international, merchant and commercial bank card, and securities safekeeping and bond accounting services; and business products, government deposits, and related commercial cash management services, as well as sells fixed income securities to correspondent banks, corporations, public institutions, municipalities, and individuals. The Wealth segment provides traditional trust and estate planning, advisory and discretionary investment portfolio management, and brokerage services, as well as private banking accounts. The company offers private equity investment, securities brokerage, insurance agency, specialty lending, and leasing services, as well as online and mobile banking services. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

First BanCorp. operates as the bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides financial products and services to consumers and commercial customers. It operates through six segments: Mortgage Banking; Consumer (Retail) Banking; Commercial and Corporate Banking; Treasury and Investments; United States Operations; and Virgin Islands Operations. The Mortgage Banking segment engages in the origination, sale, and servicing of various residential mortgage loans; hedging activities; purchase of mortgage loans from branch and mortgage bankers; and origination of residential real estate loans. The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment is involved in consumer lending, commercial lending to small businesses, commercial transaction banking, and deposit-taking activities. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment offers lending and other services, including commercial lending and commercial deposit-taking activities. The Treasury and Investments segment manages funding; and obtains funds through brokered deposits, advances from the FHLB, and repurchase agreements involving investment securities, among other funding sources. The United States Operations segment provides checking, savings, and money market accounts; retail CDs; internet banking services; residential mortgages; home equity loans and lines of credit; retail deposits; cash management services; remote data capture; automated clearing house transactions; and traditional commercial and industrial, and commercial real estate products, such as lines of credit, term loans, and construction loans. The Virgin Islands Operations segment focuses on consumer and commercial lending, and deposit-taking activities. The company also offers automobile financing and insurance agency services. First BanCorp. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Latest Banks and Commerce Bancshares, Inc., First BanCorp. Stock News

As of May 1, 2026, Commerce Bancshares, Inc. had a $7.6 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $726.8 million. Commerce Bancshares, Inc.’s stock is down 0.6% in 2026, up 2.8% in the previous five trading days and down 10.06% in the past year.

Currently, Commerce Bancshares, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 12.9. Commerce Bancshares, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.7 billion with a 32.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 6.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.133 per share for the current fiscal year. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. currently has a 2.1% dividend yield.

As of May 1, 2026, First BanCorp. had a $3.7 billion market cap, putting it in the 63rd percentile of all stocks. First BanCorp.’s stock is up 17.4% in 2026, up 3.9% in the previous five trading days and up 23.78% in the past year.

Currently, First BanCorp.’s price-earnings ratio is 11.3. First BanCorp.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $914.9 million with a 38.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 6.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.254 per share for the current fiscal year. First BanCorp. currently has a 3.3% dividend yield.

How We Compare Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First 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 Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Commerce Bancshares, Inc.	CBSH	C
First BanCorp.	FBP	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.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. has a Value Score of 60, which is Average. First BanCorp. has a Value Score of 72, which is Value.

The Value Stock Winner: First BanCorp.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, First BanCorp. is considered to have better value than Commerce Bancshares, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, First BanCorp. 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.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Commerce Bancshares, Inc.	CBSH	A
First BanCorp.	FBP	B

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.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong. First BanCorp. has a Growth Score of 64, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

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

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Commerce Bancshares, Inc.	CBSH	D
First BanCorp.	FBP	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%.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 30, which is Weak. First BanCorp. has a Momentum Score of 57, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Commerce Bancshares, Inc. or First BanCorp. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors 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 Commerce Bancshares, Inc. or First BanCorp. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Other Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp. Grades

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

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).

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 Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First BanCorp. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Commerce Bancshares, Inc. or First BanCorp. Stock?

Overall, Commerce Bancshares, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 60, Growth Score of 95 and Momentum Score of 30.

First BanCorp. stock has a Value Score of 72, Growth Score of 64 and Momentum Score of 57.

Comparing Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and First 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.