Is SMBK or STEL more undervalued in 2026?

CirclFi compares SmartFinancial, Inc. (SMBK) and Stellar Bancorp, Inc. (STEL) using 13 institutional-grade valuation models. SMBK has a Quality of Company score of 8.2/10 while STEL scores 8.1/10.

Which is a better buy — SMBK or STEL?

Compare intrinsic values from 13 independent models against current market prices. CirclFi also calculates Value Trap scores. This is not financial advice — conduct your own analysis.

How do SMBK and STEL valuations compare?

SMBK at $41.73 and STEL at $37.49 are compared across Bayesian DCF, EPV, EROIC Spread, First Chicago, Markov DDM, and 8 additional models.

SMBK vs STEL Valuation Comparison 2026 — Intrinsic Value Analysis

SMBK

Banks - Regional

SmartFinancial, Inc.

Quality

8.2

out of 10

Value Trap

SAFE

Price

$41.73

Last close

Models

11/13

Active

STEL

Banks - Regional

Stellar Bancorp, Inc.

Quality

8.1

out of 10

Value Trap

LOW

Price

$37.49

Last close

Models

12/13

Active

Model-by-Model Comparison

Model	Type	SMBK Fair Value	SMBK Upside	STEL Fair Value	STEL Upside
Bayesian DCF	Intrinsic	$38.76	-7.1%	$22.55	-39.8%
Earnings Power Value	Intrinsic	$49.47	+18.5%	$33.63	-10.3%
EROIC Spread	Intrinsic	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
First Chicago	Scenario	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
Markov DDM	Intrinsic	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
ML-RIV	Intrinsic	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
PWERM	Option-Based	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
Regime Cross-Sectional	Relative	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
Sentiment SOTP	Hybrid	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
CUCE Ensemble	Ensemble	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
FTNN Topology	Relative	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%
RCMH-DCF	Intrinsic	$•••.••	••.•%	$•••.••	••.•%

🔒

Unlock Full 13-Model Comparison

Access all valuation models for SMBK vs STEL — including EROIC Spread, First Chicago, Markov DDM, PWERM, and 7 more.

Access Full Analysis — From $27/mo →

SMBK vs STEL — Which Stock Is More Undervalued?

SMBK scores higher with a 8.2/10 quality rating vs STEL's 8.1/10. Both stocks are analyzed daily using SEC EDGAR filings across 13 independent models.

Comparing SmartFinancial, Inc. (SMBK) and Stellar Bancorp, Inc. (STEL) across 13 institutional-grade valuation models reveals how each company's intrinsic value stacks up against its market price. CirclFi's engine processes SEC EDGAR 10-K and 10-Q filings, FRED macroeconomic data, and GDELT news sentiment to generate independent fair value estimates daily.

SMBK currently trades at $41.73 with a QOC of 8.2/10, while STEL trades at $37.49 with a QOC of 8.1/10.

Both companies are analyzed with models spanning intrinsic (Bayesian DCF, EPV), scenario-based (First Chicago), regime-switching (Markov DDM, RCMH-DCF), machine learning (ML-RIV, FTNN Topology), and ensemble methods (CUCE).