SunTrust Banks (STI) Competitors

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) and SunTrust Banks (NYSE:STI) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, community ranking and dividends.

Does the media favor UVSP or STI?

In the previous week, Univest Financial had 3 more articles in the media than SunTrust Banks. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Univest Financial and 0 mentions for SunTrust Banks. SunTrust Banks' average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat Univest Financial's score of 0.00 indicating that Univest Financial is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Univest Financial	Very Positive
SunTrust Banks	Neutral

Does the MarketBeat Community favor UVSP or STI?

SunTrust Banks received 713 more outperform votes than Univest Financial when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 63.56% of users gave SunTrust Banks an outperform vote while only 50.79% of users gave Univest Financial an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Univest Financial	Outperform Votes 161 50.79%	Underperform Votes 156 49.21%
SunTrust Banks	Outperform Votes 874 63.56%	Underperform Votes 501 36.44%

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, UVSP or STI?

Univest Financial has higher revenue and earnings than SunTrust Banks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Univest Financial	$448.55M	1.42	$71.10M	$2.39	9.12
SunTrust Banks	N/A	N/A	-$19.78M	N/A	N/A

Which has more volatility and risk, UVSP or STI?

Univest Financial has a beta of 0.87, suggesting that its share price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SunTrust Banks has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its share price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of UVSP or STI?

75.1% of Univest Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of Univest Financial shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of SunTrust Banks shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is UVSP or STI more profitable?

Univest Financial has a net margin of 14.98% compared to Univest Financial's net margin of 0.00%. SunTrust Banks' return on equity of 8.35% beat Univest Financial's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Univest Financial	14.98%	8.35%	0.89%
SunTrust Banks	N/A	-18.38%	-27.63%

Do analysts rate UVSP or STI?

Univest Financial currently has a consensus price target of $21.00, suggesting a potential downside of 3.67%. Given SunTrust Banks' higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Univest Financial is more favorable than SunTrust Banks.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Univest Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
SunTrust Banks	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	N/A

Summary

Univest Financial beats SunTrust Banks on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.