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 Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation or National Association 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 Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association

Western Alliance Bancorporation operates as the bank holding company for Western Alliance Bank that provides various banking products and related services primarily in Arizona, California, and Nevada. It operates through Commercial and Consumer Related segments. The company offers deposit products, including demand deposit, checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as fixed-rate and fixed maturity certificates of deposit accounts; treasury management products and services to small and middle-market businesses, specialized banking services to sophisticated commercial institutions and investors; and residential mortgage products and services. It also provides commercial and industrial loan products, such as working capital lines of credit, loans to technology companies, inventory and accounts receivable lines, mortgage warehouse lines, equipment loans and leases, and other commercial loans; commercial real estate loans, which are secured by multifamily residential properties, professional offices, industrial facilities, retail centers, hotels, and other commercial properties; construction and land development loans for single family and multifamily residential projects, industrial/warehouse properties, office buildings, retail centers, medical office facilities, and residential lot developments; and consumer loans. In addition, the company offers other financial services, such as internet banking, wire transfers, electronic bill payment and presentment, funds transfer and other digital payment offerings, lock box services, courier, and cash management services. Further, the company holds certain investment securities, municipal and non-profit loans, and leases; invests primarily in low-income housing tax credits and small business investment corporations; and certain real estate loans and related securities. Western Alliance Bancorporation was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association provides various banking products and related services primarily in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The company operates through Zions Bank, California Bank & Trust, Amegy Bank, National Bank of Arizona, Nevada State Bank, Vectra Bank Colorado, and The Commerce Bank of Washington segments. It offers commercial and small business banking services to small- and medium-sized businesses, such as commercial, industrial, and owner-occupied lending and leasing; municipal and public finance services; depository account and cash management services; commercial and small business cards; merchant processing services; corporate trust services; and correspondent banking and international lending services. The company also provides capital markets and investment banking services, including loan syndications, foreign exchange services, interest rate derivatives, fixed income securities underwriting, mergers and acquisitions advisory services, advisory and capital raising, commercial mortgage-backed security conduit lending, and power and project financing; and commercial real estate lending services consisting of term and construction/land development financing for commercial and residential purposes. In addition, it offers retail banking services comprising residential mortgages lending, home equity lines of credit, personal lines of credit, installment consumer loans, depository account services, consumer cards, and personal trust services; and wealth management services consisting of investment management, fiduciary and estate, and advanced business succession and estate planning services. The company was formerly known as ZB, National Association and changed its name to Zions Bancorporation, National Association in September 2018. Zions Bancorporation, National Association was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Latest Banks and Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation, National Association Stock News

As of September 1, 2026, Western Alliance Bancorporation had a $8.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $730.8 million. Western Alliance Bancorporation’s stock is down 5.9% in 2026, down 0.6% in the previous five trading days and down 13.72% in the past year.

Currently, Western Alliance Bancorporation’s price-earnings ratio is 8.7. Western Alliance Bancorporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.5 billion with a 28.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 13.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $8.910 per share for the current fiscal year. Western Alliance Bancorporation currently has a 2.2% dividend yield.

As of September 1, 2026, Zions Bancorporation, National Association had a $9.7 billion market cap, putting it in the 77th percentile of all stocks. Zions Bancorporation, National Association’s stock is up 16.2% in 2026, down 0.4% in the previous five trading days and up 14.39% in the past year.

Currently, Zions Bancorporation, National Association’s price-earnings ratio is 8.5. Zions Bancorporation, National Association’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.7 billion with a 31.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 35.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.566 per share for the current fiscal year. Zions Bancorporation, National Association currently has a 2.9% dividend yield.

How We Compare Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association 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 Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Western Alliance Bancorporation	WAL	A
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	ZION	A

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.

Western Alliance Bancorporation has a Value Score of 85, which is Deep Value. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a Value Score of 87, which is Deep Value.

The Value Stock Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Value Grade breakdown above, both Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association have a Value Grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, you will need to conduct further research into both of these companies’ other metrics to see if they could be good additions to your portfolio. It’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Western Alliance Bancorporation	WAL	D
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	ZION	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.

Western Alliance Bancorporation has a Growth Score of 30, which is Weak. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a Growth Score of 77, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Zions Bancorporation, National Association

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a more attractive growth grade than Western Alliance Bancorporation. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Zions Bancorporation, National Association 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.

Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Western Alliance Bancorporation	WAL	D
Zions Bancorporation, National Association	ZION	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%.

Western Alliance Bancorporation has a Momentum Score of 30, which is Weak. Zions Bancorporation, National Association has a Momentum Score of 57, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation or National Association 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 Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation or National Association is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Other Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association Grades

In addition to Growth, Value and Momentum, 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 Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation or National Association Stock?

Overall, Western Alliance Bancorporation stock has a Value Score of 85, Growth Score of 30 and Momentum Score of 30.

Zions Bancorporation, National Association stock has a Value Score of 87, Growth Score of 77 and Momentum Score of 57.

Comparing Western Alliance Bancorporation, Zions Bancorporation and National Association’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.