Which Is a Better Investment, Bank of Hawaii Corporation or First Bancorp Stock?

By Tudor Pop
August 01, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
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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 Bank of Hawaii Corporation 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 Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp

Bank of Hawaii Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Bank of Hawaii that provides various financial products and services in Hawaii, the United States Mainland, Guam, and other Pacific Islands. It operates through three segments: Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury and Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, automobile loans and leases, overdraft lines of credit, installment loans, small business loans and leases, and credit cards; private and international client banking; investment, credit, and trust services to individuals and families, and high-net-worth individuals; investment management; and investment advisory services to corporations, government entities, and foundations. This segment also provides brokerage and insurance offerings, including equities, mutual funds, life insurance, and annuity products. The Commercial Banking segment offers commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans, commercial lease financing, auto dealer financing, and deposit products; and international banking, cash management, and merchant services to middle-market and large companies, and government entities. This segment also provides commercial real estate mortgages to investors, developers, and builders. The Treasury and Other segment offers corporate asset and liability management services comprising interest rate risk management and foreign exchange services. Bank of Hawaii Corporation was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.

First Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides banking products and services for individuals and businesses. The company accepts deposit products, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts; and time deposits, including certificate of deposits and individual retirement accounts. It also offers commercial business loans, commercial and residential real estate construction and mortgage loans, revolving lines of credit, and letters of credit, as well as loans for personal uses, home improvement, and automobiles; and accounts receivable financing and factoring, inventory financing, and purchase order financing services. In addition, the company provides credit and debit cards, safe deposit box rental services, and electronic funds transfer services consisting of wire transfers; and internet and mobile banking, mobile check deposit, cash management, bank-by-phone services, and remote deposit capture services. Further, it offers investment and insurance products, such as mutual funds, annuities, long-term care insurance, life insurance, and company retirement plans; property and casualty insurance products; and financial planning services. The company was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Latest Banks and Bank of Hawaii Corporation, First Bancorp Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Bank of Hawaii Corporation had a $3.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $716.9 million. Bank of Hawaii Corporation’s stock is up 16.9% in 2026, down 4.8% in the previous five trading days and up 28.46% in the past year.

Currently, Bank of Hawaii Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 14.9. Bank of Hawaii Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $751.2 million with a 31.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 12.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.996 per share for the current fiscal year. Bank of Hawaii Corporation currently has a 3.5% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, First Bancorp had a $2.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 57th percentile of all stocks. First Bancorp’s stock is up 23.8% in 2026, up 0.2% in the previous five trading days and up 23.32% in the past year.

Currently, First Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 21.5. First Bancorp’s trailing 12-month revenue is $393.3 million with a 32.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 13.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.696 per share for the current fiscal year. First Bancorp currently has a 1.5% dividend yield.

How We Compare Bank of Hawaii Corporation 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 Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Bank of Hawaii Corporation BOH C
First Bancorp FBNC A

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.

Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a Growth Score of 43, which is Average. First Bancorp has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: First Bancorp

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

Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Bank of Hawaii Corporation BOH D
First Bancorp FBNC 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.

Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a Quality Score of 30, which is Weak. First Bancorp has a Quality Score of 22, which is Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Bank of Hawaii Corporation or First 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 Bank of Hawaii Corporation or First Bancorp is the better investment when it comes to quality.

Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Bank of Hawaii Corporation BOH D
First Bancorp FBNC 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.

Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 30, which is Negative. First Bancorp has a Earnings Estimate Score of 68, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: First Bancorp

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, First Bancorp has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Bank of Hawaii Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, First 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.

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Other Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp Grades

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

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Momentum grades help 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.

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.

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 Bank of Hawaii Corporation and First Bancorp pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Bank of Hawaii Corporation or First Bancorp Stock?

Overall, Bank of Hawaii Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 43, Estimate Revisions Score of 30 and Quality Score of 30.

First Bancorp stock has a Growth Score of 95, Estimate Revisions Score of 68 and Quality Score of 22.

Comparing Bank of Hawaii Corporation 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.

Learn More About A+ Investor

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.



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