Nicolet Bankshares (NIC) Competitors

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) and First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings, profitability, media sentiment and analyst recommendations.

Is NIC or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 14.7% 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. Nicolet Bankshares has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and 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.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, NIC or BUSE?

Nicolet Bankshares has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Busey. Nicolet Bankshares 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
Nicolet Bankshares	$520.63M	3.61	$124.06M	$8.71	14.52
First Busey	$663.36M	2.99	$113.69M	$1.12	19.91

Do insiders & institutionals believe in NIC or BUSE?

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 16.4% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are held by company 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 NIC or BUSE more profitable?

Nicolet Bankshares has a net margin of 25.12% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity of 11.48% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares	25.12%	11.48%	1.52%
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%

Does the media favor NIC or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 4 more articles in the media than Nicolet Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for First Busey and 2 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares. Nicolet Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 0.81 beat First Busey's score of -0.47 indicating that Nicolet Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Do analysts prefer NIC or BUSE?

Nicolet Bankshares presently has a consensus target price of $145.33, indicating a potential upside of 14.93%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $27.17, indicating a potential upside of 21.82%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than Nicolet Bankshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Which has more volatility & risk, NIC or BUSE?

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.77, meaning that its stock price is 23% 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.

Summary

First Busey beats Nicolet Bankshares on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.