Which Is a Better Investment, Beacon Financial Corporation or First Bancorp Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
August 21, 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 Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial 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 Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp

Beacon Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Beacon Bank & Trust that provides various banking services in the United States and internationally. The company accepts commercial, municipal, and retail deposits. It originates mortgage loans on commercial and residential real estate, as well as commercial loans and leases. It is also involved in investment in debt and equity securities; and offers cash management, trust, and investment advisory services. In addition, the company provides specialty equipment financing and SBA lending, and online and mobile banking services, as well as wealth management services to individuals, families, endowments, and foundations. Beacon Financial Corporation was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Beacon Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Beacon Bank & Trust that provides various banking services in the United States and internationally. The company accepts commercial, municipal, and retail deposits. It originates mortgage loans on commercial and residential real estate, as well as commercial loans and leases. It is also involved in investment in debt and equity securities; and offers cash management, trust, and investment advisory services. In addition, the company provides specialty equipment financing and SBA lending, and online and mobile banking services, as well as wealth management services to individuals, families, endowments, and foundations. Beacon Financial Corporation was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

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 Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation Stock News

As of August 20, 2026, Beacon Financial Corporation had a $2.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $751.0 million. Beacon Financial Corporation’s stock is up 19.7% in 2026, down 1.6% in the previous five trading days and up 24.63% in the past year.

Currently, Beacon Financial Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 16.8. Beacon Financial Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $759.5 million with a 21.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 144.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.043 per share for the current fiscal year. Beacon Financial Corporation currently has a 4.1% dividend yield.

As of August 20, 2026, Beacon Financial Corporation had a $2.7 billion market cap, putting it in the 57th percentile of all stocks. Beacon Financial Corporation’s stock is up 19.7% in 2026, down 1.6% in the previous five trading days and up 24.63% in the past year.

Currently, Beacon Financial Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 16.8. Beacon Financial Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $759.5 million with a 21.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 144.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.043 per share for the current fiscal year. Beacon Financial Corporation currently has a 4.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial 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 Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
Beacon Financial Corporation BBT B
Beacon Financial Corporation BBT B
First Bancorp FBNC 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.

Beacon Financial Corporation has a Value Score of 68, which is Value. Beacon Financial Corporation has a Value Score of 68, which is Value. First Bancorp has a Value Score of 48, which is Average.

The Value Stock Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Value Grade breakdown above, both Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp have a Value Grade of B. 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.

Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Beacon Financial Corporation BBT D
Beacon Financial Corporation BBT 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.

Beacon Financial Corporation has a Quality Score of 21, which is Weak. Beacon Financial Corporation has a Quality Score of 21, which is Weak. First Bancorp has a Quality Score of 23, which is Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial 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 Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation or First Bancorp is the better investment when it comes to quality.

Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Beacon Financial Corporation BBT B
Beacon Financial Corporation BBT B
First Bancorp FBNC B

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%.

Beacon Financial Corporation has a Momentum Score of 62, which is Strong. Beacon Financial Corporation has a Momentum Score of 62, which is Strong. First Bancorp has a Momentum Score of 61, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Momentum Grade breakdown above, both Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp have a grade of B. For those who focus solely on a company’s momentum, further research will need to be conducted into both companies to see if they fit your individual needs as an investor.

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Other Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation and First Bancorp Grades

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

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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).

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.

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 Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial 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, Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial Corporation or First Bancorp Stock?

Overall, Beacon Financial Corporation stock has a Value Score of 68, Momentum Score of 62 and Quality Score of 21.

Beacon Financial Corporation stock has a Value Score of 68, Momentum Score of 62 and Quality Score of 21.

First Bancorp stock has a Value Score of 48, Momentum Score of 61 and Quality Score of 23.

Comparing Beacon Financial Corporation, Beacon Financial 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.

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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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