First Merchants (FRME) Competitors

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, profitability and media sentiment.

Is FRME or BUSE more profitable?

First Merchants has a net margin of 21.35% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. First Merchants' return on equity of 9.91% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Merchants	21.35%	9.91%	1.24%
First Busey	9.48%	9.76%	1.11%

Is FRME or BUSE a better dividend stock?

First Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. First Merchants pays out 37.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Busey pays out 89.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. First Merchants has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years and First Busey has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years.

Does the media favor FRME or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 11 more articles in the media than First Merchants. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for First Busey and 5 mentions for First Merchants. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat First Merchants' score of 0.52 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Merchants	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Busey	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, FRME or BUSE?

First Merchants has a beta of 1.08, indicating that its stock price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, FRME or BUSE?

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than First Busey. First Merchants is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Busey, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants	$1.07B	2.02	$201.40M	$3.86	9.61
First Busey	$663.36M	2.99	$113.69M	$1.12	19.76

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of FRME or BUSE?

73.9% of First Merchants shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of First Merchants shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts rate FRME or BUSE?

First Merchants presently has a consensus target price of $46.20, indicating a potential upside of 24.49%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $27.17, indicating a potential upside of 22.76%. Given First Merchants' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe First Merchants is more favorable than First Busey.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Merchants	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Summary

First Merchants beats First Busey on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.