Waterstone Financial (WSBF) Competitors

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

Does the media favor WSBF or BUSE?

In the previous week, Waterstone Financial had 4 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for Waterstone Financial and 2 mentions for First Busey. Waterstone Financial's average media sentiment score of 1.17 beat First Busey's score of 1.15 indicating that Waterstone Financial is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, WSBF or BUSE?

First Busey has higher revenue and earnings than Waterstone Financial. Waterstone Financial 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
Waterstone Financial	$202.47M	1.33	$18.69M	$1.14	12.61
First Busey	$663.36M	3.15	$113.69M	$1.12	20.93

Is WSBF or BUSE more profitable?

Waterstone Financial has a net margin of 10.47% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. First Busey's return on equity of 8.76% beat Waterstone Financial's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Waterstone Financial	10.47%	6.07%	0.93%
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%

Do analysts recommend WSBF or BUSE?

First Busey has a consensus price target of $27.17, suggesting a potential upside of 15.90%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than Waterstone Financial.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Waterstone Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Which has more risk and volatility, WSBF or BUSE?

Waterstone Financial has a beta of 0.73, meaning that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.81, meaning that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in WSBF or BUSE?

62.7% of Waterstone Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 7.4% of Waterstone Financial shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is WSBF or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Waterstone Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Waterstone Financial pays out 52.6% 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 Busey has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years. First Busey is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

First Busey beats Waterstone Financial on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.