CAPS contains more than just the crowd's opinions. The votes of CAPS' best-performing members, known as All-Stars, count more in shaping each company's rating than do the picks of their poorer-performing peers. That way, the highest-rated companies are not just the most popular companies in the industry, in this case Wells?Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) , but are the best of the best. You can then intelligently use members' collective wisdom to?make better decisions and find hidden gems you may never have otherwise heard of.
The commercial banking industry has been struggling as the Federal Reserve's decision to pursue low long-term interest rates limits the profits banks can earn.
The highest-rated commercial bank stock is...
Looking at the aggregate data, we see that our community rates First Republic Bank (NYSE: FRC ) above the rest and for good reason. Fool contributor Rich Smith took a look at the stock this summer and decided First Republic Bank's numbers look cheap, although insider selling concerns and somewhat tepid growth made him reluctant to recommend the stock immediately.
Here are the rest of the 10 highest-rated companies in the industry along with their CAPS rating:
? | Company | CAPS Rating (out of 5) | Market Cap (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Republic Bank | ***** | $3,705 | |
| 2 | Southside Bancshares (Nasdaq: SBSI ) | ***** | $334 |
| 3 | MidWest One Financial Group | ***** | $128 |
| 4 | First Bancorp (Nasdaq: FNLC ) | ***** | $137 |
| 5 | Metro Bancorp | ***** | $118 |
| 6 | First Community Bancshares | ***** | $220 |
| 7 | Towne Bank (Nasdaq: TOWN ) | ***** | $344 |
| 8 | CNB Financial (Nasdaq: CCNE ) | ***** | $178 |
| 9 | Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania | ***** | $254 |
| 10 | Wilshire Bancorp (Nasdaq: WIBC ) | ***** | $242 |
Source: Motley Fool CAPS as of Nov. 7.
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