CLBK vs VLY: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: VLY is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. CLBK and VLY share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined CLBK and VLY exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Columbia Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLBK) is the Fair Lawn, New Jersey holding company for Columbia Bank, a community and commercial bank offering retail and business deposits, residential and commercial lending, and wealth management across northern and central New Jersey. Before the 2026 transactions it carried roughly $11 billion in total assets, making it a mid-size regional thrift-style franchise concentrated in real-estate-heavy lending. Earnings had been pressured through 2024 by a compressed net interest margin, then recovered through 2025 as funding costs stabilized and the margin widened back toward the low 2 percent range.

Full CLBK guide

Valley National Bancorp is the holding company for Valley National Bank, a regional lender headquartered in the New York metro area with operations concentrated in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama and California. At December 31, 2025 it held roughly $64.1 billion in total assets, about $49.6 billion in net loans and $52.2 billion in deposits, and it makes money the traditional way, by taking deposits and lending against commercial real estate, commercial and industrial borrowers, and consumers, while collecting fee income on the side. Commercial real estate has long been its signature exposure, at about 58 percent of total loans, which is high versus most peers and is the single biggest factor investors watch.

Full VLY guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• CLBK drivers: Second-step conversion recapitalization; Northfield Bancorp acquisition and scale.
• VLY drivers: Net interest margin recovery; Deposit growth, funding mix and the Bluevine deal.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: CLBK is a real-estate-concentrated regional lender, so commercial real estate and multifamily credit stress, rising vacancies, or refinancing pressure could drive loan losses. For VLY, valley's commercial real estate concentration, near 58 percent of loans and among the highest of comparable regional banks, is the central risk: a downturn in office, multifamily or construction values could drive higher provisions and charge-offs.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick CLBK if you believe its drivers more; VLY if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the CLBK and VLY guides.

CLBK. Trailing figures still describe the standalone bank before the July 20, 2026 conversion and Northfield merger, so they understate the combined franchise: consensus calls for 2026 revenue near $347 million and 2027 revenue near $503 million, with 2027 EPS around $0.77. At about $10.73 the stock trades near 14x forward earnings and roughly 2x book, a richer valuation than newly converted thrifts usually command. The three covering analysts carry a mean target around $14.

VLY. VLY trades at about 10.8 times trailing and 8.3 times forward earnings and slightly below book value, a discount that reflects market caution on its commercial real estate book and, more recently, on the cost and execution of the Bluevine and Providence deals. Consensus expects EPS of about $1.28 in 2026 and $1.54 in 2027, and 14 analysts rate the stock a buy on average with a mean target near $16.50. The dividend yield has eased to about 3.5% as the share price rose over the past year.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): CLBK shows revenue (ttm) ~$267M (up ~13% YoY in the latest quarter), net income (ttm) ~$58M, q2 2026 net income / eps ~$14.5M / $0.14 ($0.15 core), net interest margin (q2 2026) ~2.44% (vs 2.19% a year earlier); VLY shows market cap ~$7.1 billion at ~$12.75, revenue (ttm) ~$2.0 billion; Q2 2026 ~$561 million (+15% YoY), net income (ttm) ~$664 million; Q2 2026 ~$164 million, diluted eps (q2 2026) $0.30 vs $0.31 consensus; Q3 consensus ~$0.33.

CLBK and VLY are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined CLBK and VLY exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.