Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC) Competitors

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

Which has more volatility and risk, WABC or BUSE?

Westamerica Bancorporation has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in WABC or BUSE?

81.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.3% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is WABC or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Westamerica Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. Westamerica Bancorporation pays out 36.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Busey pays out 93.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Westamerica Bancorporation has increased its dividend for 34 consecutive years and First Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years.

Do analysts rate WABC or BUSE?

Westamerica Bancorporation presently has a consensus price target of $52.50, indicating a potential upside of 3.42%. First Busey has a consensus price target of $27.67, indicating a potential upside of 15.66%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than Westamerica Bancorporation.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Westamerica Bancorporation	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Does the media prefer WABC or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 7 more articles in the media than Westamerica Bancorporation. MarketBeat recorded 11 mentions for First Busey and 4 mentions for Westamerica Bancorporation. Westamerica Bancorporation's average media sentiment score of 1.18 beat First Busey's score of 0.97 indicating that Westamerica Bancorporation is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Westamerica Bancorporation	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Busey	4 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, WABC or BUSE?

Westamerica Bancorporation has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Busey. Westamerica Bancorporation 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
Westamerica Bancorporation	$311.17M	4.27	$138.64M	$4.99	10.17
First Busey	$663.36M	3.23	$113.69M	$1.07	22.36

Is WABC or BUSE more profitable?

Westamerica Bancorporation has a net margin of 44.10% compared to First Busey's net margin of 8.32%. Westamerica Bancorporation's return on equity of 14.95% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Westamerica Bancorporation	44.10%	14.95%	2.16%
First Busey	8.32%	8.46%	0.96%

Summary

Westamerica Bancorporation beats First Busey on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.