SmartFinancial, Inc. SMBK

Competitive advantage analysis · financial-services

Bank Specialized
Overall moat score
57/100
Moderate

Ranked against 399 peers in Banks - Regional

About SmartFinancial, Inc.

SmartFinancial, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for SmartBank that provides various financial services to individuals and corporate customers in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida. The company accepts various deposits, including noninterest-bearing and interest-bearing checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also provides commercial and residential real estate, consumer real estate, and … Full SMBK analysis →

Key strengths

  • Strong Capital Position Capital position is strong (score 0.73), exceeding regulatory minimums.
  • Disciplined Risk Management Risk management appears disciplined (asset quality score 0.67).

Key risks

  • Operational Inefficiency Operational efficiency lags peers (score 0.39).
  • Weak Net Interest Margin Net interest margin proxy is weak (score 0.39).

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Deposit Franchise

Moderate
56
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Signals, strengths and risks for Deposit Franchise

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Signals, strengths and risks for Lending Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Strength

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Discipline

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Signals, strengths and risks for Revenue Diversification

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Signals, strengths and risks for Risk Management

Where SMBK ranks in Banks - Regional

SmartFinancial, Inc. ranks #153 of 393 scored companies in Banks - Regional by moat score — the top 39%. The widest moat in the group is 1st Source Corporation (SRCE) at 86/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
149 FirstSun Capital Bancorp FSUN 57/100 Moderate
150 Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. HWBK 57/100 Moderate
151 Affinity Bancshares, Inc. AFBI 57/100 Moderate
152 Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, In FMAO 57/100 Moderate
153 SmartFinancial, Inc. SMBK 57/100 Moderate
154 NBT Bancorp Inc. NBTB 57/100 Moderate
155 Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. BWFG 56/100 Moderate
156 Business First Bancshares, Inc. BFST 56/100 Moderate
157 BOK Financial Corporation BOKF 56/100 Moderate

See every Banks & Lenders company ranked by moat score →

How SMBK scores on the Bank Specialized defenses

Deposit Franchise

Score 56 · 22% of the moat score

A deposit franchise is the cheapest and most valuable thing a bank can own.

Lending Advantage

Score 55 · 18% of the moat score

Lending advantage is the ability to originate loans at attractive spreads without buying that volume with looser credit standards.

Capital Strength

Score 64 · 20% of the moat score

Capital is the buffer between loan losses and insolvency, and it is what regulators judge a bank on first.

Cost Discipline

Score 46 · 16% of the moat score

Banking carries high fixed costs in branches, compliance and technology, so what it costs to run the bank relative to what the bank earns is a genuine competitive variable.

Revenue Diversification

Score 53 · 14% of the moat score

A bank earning everything from net interest income is a leveraged bet on the rate cycle.

Risk Management

Score 72 · 10% of the moat score

Risk management is the defense that only reveals itself late.

How each Bank Specialized defense is measured, in full →

Understanding SMBK's moat

What is SmartFinancial, Inc.'s moat score?

SmartFinancial, Inc. (SMBK) scores 57 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #153 of 393 scored companies in Banks - Regional, the top 39%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 399 companies in Banks - Regional. Its strongest defense is Risk Management (72/100) and its weakest is Cost Discipline (46/100).

How does SmartFinancial, Inc. compare with other Banks - Regional companies?

SmartFinancial, Inc. ranks #153 of 393 scored companies in Banks - Regional by moat score. The widest moat in Banks - Regional is 1st Source Corporation (SRCE) at 86/100. The companies ranked closest are Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, In (FMAO) at 57 just above it and NBT Bancorp Inc. (NBTB) at 57 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Bank Specialized in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 399 companies in Banks - Regional. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is SmartFinancial, Inc. scored with the Bank Specialized template?

A bank does not sell a product at a margin. It funds itself, lends at a spread, and books profits that remain an estimate until the loans are actually repaid. That makes the usual margin-and-return questions misleading, so the Bank template scores what really determines a bank's durability: where its funding comes from, what it lends against, how much capital stands behind it, and whether it has been pricing risk honestly.

Which competitive defenses are measured for SmartFinancial, Inc.?

The Bank Specialized template measures 6 defenses, and SMBK scores: Deposit Franchise (56), Lending Advantage (55), Capital Strength (64), Cost Discipline (46), Revenue Diversification (53), Risk Management (72). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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