Which Is a Better Investment, Bank of Hawaii Corp or Western Alliance Bancorporation Stock?

By AAII Staff
September 15, 2026
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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 Western Alliance Bancorporation or Bank of Hawaii Corporation 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 and Bank of Hawaii Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Western Alliance Bancorporation and Bank of Hawaii Corporation

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.

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.

Latest Banks and Western Alliance Bancorporation, Bank of Hawaii Corporation Stock News

As of September 14, 2026, Western Alliance Bancorporation had a $8.5 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $741.3 million. Western Alliance Bancorporation’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and down 11.66% in the past year.

Currently, Western Alliance Bancorporation’s price-earnings ratio is 8.9. 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 2.1% dividend yield.

Currently, Bank of Hawaii Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 14.1. 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 $5.950 per share for the current fiscal year. Bank of Hawaii Corporation currently has a 3.7% dividend yield.

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

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Western Alliance Bancorporation and Bank of Hawaii Corporation Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Western Alliance Bancorporation WAL D
Bank of Hawaii Corporation BOH 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.

Western Alliance Bancorporation has a Growth Score of 30, which is Weak. Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a Growth Score of 43, which is Average.

The Growth Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Western Alliance Bancorporation or Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a high enough Growth 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 Western Alliance Bancorporation or Bank of Hawaii Corporation is the better investment when it comes to sustainable growth.

Western Alliance Bancorporation and Bank of Hawaii Corporation’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Western Alliance Bancorporation WAL D
Bank of Hawaii Corporation BOH 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 35, which is Weak. Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a Momentum Score of 48, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Western Alliance Bancorporation or Bank of Hawaii Corporation 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 or Bank of Hawaii Corporation is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Western Alliance Bancorporation and Bank of Hawaii Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Western Alliance Bancorporation WAL D
Bank of Hawaii Corporation BOH D

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.

Western Alliance Bancorporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 23, which is Negative. Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 27, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Western Alliance Bancorporation or Bank of Hawaii Corporation has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could 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 or Bank of Hawaii Corporation is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

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Other Western Alliance Bancorporation and Bank of Hawaii Corporation Grades

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

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

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Western Alliance Bancorporation or Bank of Hawaii Corporation Stock?

Overall, Western Alliance Bancorporation stock has a Growth Score of 30, Momentum Score of 35 and Estimate Revisions Score of 23.

Bank of Hawaii Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 43, Momentum Score of 48 and Estimate Revisions Score of 27.

Comparing Western Alliance Bancorporation and Bank of Hawaii Corporation’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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