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 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. or Park National 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 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Northwest Bank, a state-chartered savings bank that provides personal and commercial banking solutions in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Indiana in the United States. The company accepts various deposits, including checking, savings, money market deposit, term certificate, and individual retirement accounts. It also offers loan products comprising one-to-four-family residential real estate loans, shorter-term consumer loans, and loans collateralized by multi-family residential and commercial real estate, as well as commercial business loans; residential mortgage loans; home equity loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate loans; commercial loans and financing solutions; and other consumer loans, including auto refinance loans, indirect automobile and recreational loans, unsecured personal loans, credit card loans, and loans secured by investment accounts. In addition, the company offers investment and cash management; estate and trust services; digital and online banking; certificates of deposit; credit cards; student and small business loans; private banking, planning, and investments; retirement plans; liquidity management for commercial checking and savings; treasury and wealth management; insurance; employee benefit plans; and financial planning services. It serves individuals, businesses, and charitable institutions. Northwest Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1896 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Park National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Park National Bank that provides commercial banking and trust services in small and medium population areas in the United States. The company offers deposits for demand, savings, and time accounts; trust and wealth management services; cash management services; safe deposit operations; electronic funds transfers; Internet and mobile banking solutions with bill pay service; credit cards; and various additional banking-related services. It also provides commercial loans, including financing for industrial and commercial properties, financing for equipment, inventory and accounts receivable, acquisition financing, and commercial leasing, as well as for consumer finance companies; commercial real estate loans comprising mortgage loans to developers and owners of commercial real estate; originates financing leases primarily for the purchase of commercial vehicles, operating/manufacturing equipment, and municipal vehicles/equipment; consumer loans, such as automobile, recreational vehicle, and watercraft loans; consumer finance services; home equity lines of credit; and residential real estate and construction loans, as well as installment loans and commercial loans. In addition, the company offers aircraft financing services; and ParkDirect, a personal banking application. Park National Corporation was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Newark, Ohio.

Latest Banks and Northwest Bancshares, Inc., Park National Corporation Stock News

As of April 28, 2026, Northwest Bancshares, Inc. had a $2.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $732.9 million. Northwest Bancshares, Inc.’s stock is up 14.6% in 2026, up 4.2% in the previous five trading days and up 20.51% in the past year.

Currently, Northwest Bancshares, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 15.4. Northwest Bancshares, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $599.1 million with a 21.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 25.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.342 per share for the current fiscal year. Northwest Bancshares, Inc. currently has a 5.6% dividend yield.

As of April 28, 2026, Park National Corporation had a $3.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 61st percentile of all stocks. Park National Corporation’s stock is up 10.7% in 2026, down 1.5% in the previous five trading days and up 18.88% in the past year.

Currently, Park National Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 15.8. Park National Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $545.7 million with a 31.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $12.083 per share for the current fiscal year. Park National Corporation currently has a 2.5% dividend yield.

How We Compare Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National 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 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Northwest Bancshares, Inc.	NWBI	D
Park National Corporation	PRK	C

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.

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. has a Value Score of 34, which is Expensive. Park National Corporation has a Value Score of 45, which is Average.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Northwest Bancshares, Inc. or Park National Corporation has a high enough value 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 portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Northwest Bancshares, Inc. or Park National Corporation is the better investment when it comes to value.

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Northwest Bancshares, Inc.	NWBI	C
Park National Corporation	PRK	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%.

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 58, which is Average. Park National Corporation has a Momentum Score of 54, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Northwest Bancshares, Inc. or Park National 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 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. or Park National Corporation is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Northwest Bancshares, Inc.	NWBI	B
Park National Corporation	PRK	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.

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 72, which is Positive. Park National Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 75, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, both Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation have a grade of B. For those focusing solely on a company’s estimate revisions, other financial metrics will need to be evaluated to determine whether Northwest Bancshares, Inc. or Park National Corporation is a better fit.

Other Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation Grades

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

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.

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 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Northwest Bancshares, Inc. or Park National Corporation Stock?

Overall, Northwest Bancshares, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 34, Momentum Score of 58 and Estimate Revisions Score of 72.

Park National Corporation stock has a Value Score of 45, Momentum Score of 54 and Estimate Revisions Score of 75.

Comparing Northwest Bancshares, Inc. and Park National 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.

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.