Bridgewater Bancshares (BWB) Competitors

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

Does the media favor BWB or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 9 more articles in the media than Bridgewater Bancshares. MarketBeat recorded 15 mentions for First Busey and 6 mentions for Bridgewater Bancshares. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 0.26 beat Bridgewater Bancshares' score of -0.41 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Bridgewater Bancshares	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
First Busey	4 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has higher valuation and earnings, BWB or BUSE?

First Busey has higher revenue and earnings than Bridgewater Bancshares. Bridgewater Bancshares 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
Bridgewater Bancshares	$253.27M	1.84	$32.83M	$1.10	15.45
First Busey	$663.36M	3.29	$113.69M	$1.07	22.77

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

65.8% of Bridgewater Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 23.3% of Bridgewater Bancshares 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 large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts rate BWB or BUSE?

Bridgewater Bancshares presently has a consensus target price of $18.50, suggesting a potential upside of 8.82%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $27.67, suggesting a potential upside of 13.57%. Given First Busey's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Busey is more favorable than Bridgewater Bancshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bridgewater Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
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, BWB or BUSE?

Bridgewater Bancshares has a beta of 0.54, suggesting that its stock price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.77, suggesting that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is BWB or BUSE more profitable?

Bridgewater Bancshares has a net margin of 13.27% compared to First Busey's net margin of 8.32%. Bridgewater Bancshares' return on equity of 9.13% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bridgewater Bancshares	13.27%	9.13%	0.72%
First Busey	8.32%	8.46%	0.96%

Summary

First Busey beats Bridgewater Bancshares on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.