First Busey (BUSE) Competitors

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) and First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, profitability, valuation, dividends and earnings.

Which has more risk & volatility, BUSE or FFBC?

First Busey has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better earnings & valuation, BUSE or FFBC?

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than First Busey. First Financial Bancorp. 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 Busey	$663.36M	3.14	$113.69M	$1.12	20.88
First Financial Bancorp.	$852.23M	2.91	$228.83M	$2.50	10.37

Is BUSE or FFBC a better dividend stock?

First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. First Financial Bancorp. pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. 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 Financial Bancorp. pays out 40.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years and First Financial Bancorp. has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. First Busey is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Does the media favor BUSE or FFBC?

In the previous week, First Financial Bancorp. had 7 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for First Financial Bancorp. and 3 mentions for First Busey. First Financial Bancorp.'s average media sentiment score of 0.73 beat First Busey's score of 0.03 indicating that First Financial Bancorp. is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Busey	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
First Financial Bancorp.	3 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts recommend BUSE or FFBC?

First Busey presently has a consensus target price of $27.33, indicating a potential upside of 16.91%. First Financial Bancorp. has a consensus target price of $29.83, indicating a potential upside of 15.09%. Given First Busey's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than First Financial Bancorp..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.43
First Financial Bancorp.	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.57

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in BUSE or FFBC?

56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.9% of First Busey shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are owned by company 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 BUSE or FFBC more profitable?

First Financial Bancorp. has a net margin of 19.41% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. First Financial Bancorp.'s return on equity of 10.57% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%
First Financial Bancorp.	19.41%	10.57%	1.42%

Summary

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