FHN vs SSB: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
Last updated August 2026
Short answer
FHN (First Horizon Corporation) and SSB (SouthState Corporation) share investment themes but are different businesses. The right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme.
FHN vs SSB: the tie-breaker metrics
Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 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.
| Metric | FHN | SSB | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward P/E | 11.12 | 10.13 | Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up. |
| Trailing P/E | 12.88 | 11.04 | Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price. |
| Beta | 0.61 | 0.70 | Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through. |
| Price vs 52-week range | 86% of range | 86% of range | Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why. |
| Price / book | 1.43 | 1.12 | How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price. |
Before you buy: how FHN and SSB affect your concentration
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. FHN and SSB 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 FHN and SSB 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.
What does First Horizon Corporation (FHN) do?
First Horizon Corporation is the holding company for First Horizon Bank, a regional lender headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee with roughly $82 billion in assets and operations across about 12 states in the Southeast and Texas. The bank offers commercial and private banking, consumer and small-business services, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, and fixed income. It holds leading deposit market share positions in Tennessee and Louisiana, with additional density in Florida, the Carolinas, Virginia, Atlanta, and the Dallas and Houston markets.
What does SouthState Corporation (SSB) do?
SouthState Corporation (NYSE: SSB) is the holding company for SouthState Bank, a regional bank headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida, with roughly 370 branches spread across nine states including South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, and Texas. The bank offers standard commercial and consumer banking, mortgage lending, and wealth management, and it grew materially after closing its all-stock acquisition of Texas-based Independent Financial (formerly Independent Bank Group) on January 1, 2025, which pushed it into Texas and Colorado. As of Q1 2026 the company reported about $68 billion in total assets, roughly $49.5 billion in loans, and roughly $55.9 billion in deposits.
FHN vs SSB: how do they differ?
Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.
- FHN drivers: Sun Belt regional growth; Net interest income and margin.
- SSB drivers: Independent Financial integration and scale; Net interest income and margin.
Which fits which kind of investor
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: As a regional bank, First Horizon carries interest rate risk, since a falling or inverted yield curve can compress margins. For SSB, as a regional bank, SSB carries the classic sector risks: rising deposit costs or an inverted yield curve can compress net interest margin, and a credit downturn (especially in commercial real estate, a meaningful part of most regional loan books) can drive higher provisions and losses.
FHN or SSB: which should you pick?
FHN vs SSB: the full fundamentals
FHN. First Horizon reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of about $862 million, up roughly 6 percent year over year, with net income available to common shareholders near $257 million and earnings per share of about $0.53, up 21 percent from a year earlier. The shares trade around 12 times trailing earnings and roughly 1.8 times tangible book value, broadly in line with regional-bank peers.
SSB. SSB trades at a modest valuation typical of profitable regional banks, with a P/E around 10 to 11 times and a dividend yield near 2.5% at a share price around the high-$90s. Q1 2026 return on assets of about 1.37% and return on tangible common equity near 17.6% are solid for the sector. Figures are approximate and drawn from Q1 2026 reporting; bank earnings can swing quarter to quarter with provisions and rate moves.
Headline figures (approximate, APRIL 2026): FHN shows market cap ~$12.4B, revenue (q1 2026) ~$862M, net income to common (q1 2026) ~$257M, eps (q1 2026) ~$0.53; SSB shows total assets ~$68B, net revenue (q1 2026) ~$650M, net income (q1 2026) ~$226M, diluted eps (q1 2026) ~$2.28.
The bottom line: FHN vs SSB
FHN and SSB 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 FHN and SSB exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Wondering how FHN or SSB fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in First Horizon Corporation with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how FHN fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is the difference between FHN and SSB?
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First Horizon Corporation is the holding company for First Horizon Bank, a regional lender headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee with roughly $82 billion in assets and operations across about 12 states in the Southeast and Texas. SouthState Corporation (NYSE: SSB) is the holding company for SouthState Bank, a regional bank headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida, with roughly 370 branches spread across nine states including South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, and Texas. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.
Is FHN or SSB the better stock?
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Neither is universally better; they suit different views and risk levels. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.
Which is cheaper, FHN or SSB?
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On forward P/E (as of August 2026), FHN trades at 11.12x and SSB at 10.13x, so SSB is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.
Should you own both FHN and SSB?
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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.
What are the risks of FHN vs SSB?
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FHN: As a regional bank, First Horizon carries interest rate risk, since a falling or inverted yield curve can compress margins. Credit risk is meaningful because a downturn in its Southeastern and Texas markets, including commercial real estate exposure, could raise charge-offs from the low levels seen recently. Deposit competition and the possibility of funding outflows remain a concern after the 2023 regional-banking stress. The stock also lost the premium tied to the TD takeover when that deal collapsed, and regulatory capital requirements could limit buybacks. SSB: As a regional bank, SSB carries the classic sector risks: rising deposit costs or an inverted yield curve can compress net interest margin, and a credit downturn (especially in commercial real estate, a meaningful part of most regional loan books) can drive higher provisions and losses. Integration of the large Independent Financial deal introduces execution risk, potential deposit attrition, and one-time charges. Regional banks are also sensitive to deposit-confidence shocks, as the 2023 bank stress episodes showed. Regulatory capital and stress-testing requirements can rise with size, and the stock tends to move with macro rate expectations largely outside management control.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell FHN or SSB; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.