BAC vs FBNC Stock Comparison
FBNC currently leads BAC in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 51 vs 46. The clearest difference is momentum, while BAC has the stronger value profile.
What is the main difference between BAC and FBNC?
FBNC leads the current stock comparison as First Bancorp, with the clearest separation coming from momentum and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Bank of America Corporation vs First Bancorp
FBNC leads
FBNC leads by 5 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Quality, but the lead has narrowed from 8 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors BAC on target upside.
Fragile: 2 of 6 evidence groups support FBNC, its lead is narrowing, and its signal state is cleanly positive.
Bank of America Corporation
First Bancorp
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors FBNC over BAC, 51 versus 46 as of Oct 21, 2026. FBNC's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and quality, while BAC holds the stronger value profile. FBNC also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors BAC. 2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor FBNC today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 5 points. FBNC lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 5 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Bank of America Corporation and First Bancorp across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare BAC and FBNC against another ticker
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AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value57 vs 30BAC +27
- Momentum24 vs 51FBNC +27
- Quality49 vs 66FBNC +17
- Risk Resilience58 vs 60Even
2 of 6 evidence groups favor FBNC. FBNC’s edge is concentrated in momentum and quality; BAC keeps a meaningful value edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Risk Resilience +1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +12
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 3 active signals are unchanged.
FBNC's lead widened by 3 AIQ points in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — BAC and FBNC both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
FBNC (First Bancorp): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and quality.
BAC (Bank of America Corporation): the counter-case, on value, fundamentals, valuation.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
FBNCFBNC on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
BACBAC on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
BACBAC on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points.
Momentum
FBNCFBNC on the Momentum factor, by 27 points.
Lower downside
BACBAC carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.
Analyst upside
BACBAC on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors FBNC, analyst targets favor BAC. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | BAC | FBNC | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +30.5% | +15.2% | BAC has more room |
| Target dispersion | +22.6% | +14.2% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 11 | 2 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Dividend growth
| Dividend metric | BAC | FBNC |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y dividend CAGR | 8.45% | 4.80% |
| 2020 regular DPS | $0.720 | $0.720 |
| 2025 regular DPS | $1.080 | $0.910 |
| Years increased | 5 | 3 |
| No cut in window | Yes | Yes |
| Cohort rank | #133 | #259 |
BAC grew its split-adjusted regular dividend faster over 2020–2025 — 8.45% a year against FBNC's 4.80%. Neither company reduced its regular dividend in any year of the window.
Yield and payout ratio shown elsewhere on this page are current values, not part of the study window.
Split-adjusted regular dividends per share, 2020–2025, excluding special dividends. Research as of Sep 19, 2026.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor FBNC. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | FBNC | 46 vs 51 |
| Fundamentals | BACon balance | revenue growth -3.3% vs -86.5%; EPS growth -23.8% vs 8%; TTM ROE 10.7% vs 8%; gross margin 60.4% vs 63.6%; operating margin 22.4% vs 11.1% — BAC takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | BAC | Value 57 vs 30 |
| Technicals | FBNC | Price vs 50-day -13.2% vs -3.1%; vs 200-day -8.1% vs 2.3% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 58 vs 60 |
| Analyst expectations | BAC | Target upside 30.5% vs 15.2% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of BAC and FBNC and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 5 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader's signal state is cleanly positive. (supports the conclusion holding)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on FBNC.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20FBNC lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 5 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- FBNC +5
- 46 vs 51
- 7 sessions ago
- FBNC +6
- 41 vs 47
- 30 sessions ago
- FBNC +8
- 40 vs 48
- 90 sessions ago
- FBNC +5
- 54 vs 59
The lead changed hands 3 times in this window, most recently on Sep 3 when FBNC moved ahead of BAC.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only BAC
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral
Only FBNC
- MACD Bullish Crossover — bullish, momentum, short horizon
Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Bollinger Band Squeeze, Golden Cross Active.
BAC is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.28%, AIQ 0 points).
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 3 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -0.86%, AIQ +3 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1BAC closes the Momentum gap — currently 27 points behind, the largest single contributor to FBNC's edge.
- 2BAC's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it.
- 3FBNC's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 3 points over 30 sessions, and a further 5-point move would eliminate FBNC's advantage entirely.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
BAC leads on balance| Metric | BAC | FBNC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | -3.3% | -86.5% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -23.8% | 8% |
| Gross margin | 60.4% | 63.6% |
| Operating margin | 22.4% | 11.1% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 10.7% | 8% |
| Debt to equity | 1.28 | 0.04 |
Performance
FBNC leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | BAC | FBNC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -6.2% | 2.9% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -9.9% | -2.3% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -16.5% | -1.7% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -5.3% | 4.1% |
| Year to date | -7.9% | 21.2% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 0.4% | 32.9% |
Technicals
FBNC has the stronger structure| Metric | BAC | FBNC |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 25.5 | 52.3 |
| ADX (14) | 48.6 | 27.2 |
| Price vs 50-day | -13.2% | -3.1% |
| Price vs 200-day | -8.1% | 2.3% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 21.8% | 22.6% |
Risk
Split| Metric | BAC | FBNC |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.75 | 0.58 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.13 | 0.99 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.16 | 1.42 |
| Max drawdown | -22.3% | -15.3% |
| Current drawdown | -21.9% | -7.2% |
| Annualized volatility | 21.9% | 25.3% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -2.5% | -2.3% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, BAC or FBNC?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, FBNC is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 51 against BAC's 46. The edge comes from momentum and quality. BAC is not without a case — it holds the better value profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is BAC or FBNC the better buy right now?
FBNC carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 5 points. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor FBNC over BAC?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. BAC leads Value by 27 points; FBNC leads Momentum by 27 points; FBNC leads Quality by 17 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, BAC or FBNC?
Analyst price targets imply +30.5% upside for BAC and +15.2% for FBNC, so the Street currently favors BAC. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors FBNC. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, BAC or FBNC?
BAC is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. BAC on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, BAC or FBNC?
BAC on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, BAC or FBNC?
FBNC on the Momentum factor, by 27 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, BAC or FBNC?
BAC is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. BAC carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is BAC more profitable than FBNC?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 60.4% vs 63.6%; operating margin 22.4% vs 11.1%; ttm roe 10.7% vs 8%. BAC leads on two measures and FBNC on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is FBNC's lead over BAC getting stronger or weaker?
FBNC lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 5 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 3 times in that window, most recently on 2026-09-03, when FBNC moved ahead of BAC.
What would change the BAC vs FBNC verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: BAC closes the Momentum gap — currently 27 points behind, the largest single contributor to FBNC's edge; BAC's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it; FBNC's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 3 points over 30 sessions, and a further 5-point move would eliminate FBNC's advantage entirely.
What do the current signals say about BAC and FBNC?
BAC: 2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. FBNC: 2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on BAC is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On FBNC it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare BAC and FBNC with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.