Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. COLB scored 74.0, ZION scored 74.0 — tied at the top.
Compare another set
COLB
Columbia Banking System, Inc.
Banks - Regional · Financial strength
72.8Fin
$28.23 · $8.0B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
3.2
ZION leads
ZION
Zions Bancorporation, National Association
Banks - Regional · Financial strength
76Fin
$62.23 · $9.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestZION7.9x
Fastest growthCOLB+19.3%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
COLB
ZION
+19.3%B+
Rev
+8.1%B
11.1xB+
P/E
7.9xA-
11.0%B
ROE
16.4%B+
1.07A-
P/B
1.20B+
5.2%A-
Yield
3.1%B
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
The companies
COLBColumbia Banking System, Inc.
Banks - Regional · $28.23 · beta 0.69
Why now
Banks - Regional · market cap $8.0b. 16% off the 52-week high of $33.68. Revenue growing +19%, comfortably above the S&P median. 14 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $33.43 (implying +18% upside).
Moat
Net margin 28% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. Financial moat — scale of deposit base / underwriting franchise plus regulatory capital advantages. The largest players compound book value through cycles that erase smaller competitors.
Risk
Balance-sheet financial — book value, net interest margin, and credit loss provisions are the lever points; a rates regime change or a deterioration in the loan book moves the stock more than EPS does.
ZIONZions Bancorporation, National Association
Banks - Regional · $62.23 · beta 0.83
Why now
Banks - Regional · market cap $9.1b. 15% off the 52-week high of $73.34. 22 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $72.91 (implying +17% upside).
Moat
Net margin 32% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 16% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. Financial moat — scale of deposit base / underwriting franchise plus regulatory capital advantages. The largest players compound book value through cycles that erase smaller competitors.
Risk
Regulatory capital risk — stricter capital requirements (CCAR, Basel) can force a dividend cut or a capital raise; the largest banks are most exposed because they're held to the tightest standards.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Common questions
Is COLB or ZION the better stock?
On the Bull Rankings quality-growth score they are level: COLB and ZION both score 74.0 out of 100. The score blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number, so a tie means the model sees no meaningful edge either way — the pillar breakdown on this page shows where each is actually stronger.
How are COLB and ZION scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.