Equity Bancshares (EQBK) Competitors

Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK) and First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, profitability, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

Does the media refer more to EQBK or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 7 more articles in the media than Equity Bancshares. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for First Busey and 0 mentions for Equity Bancshares. Equity Bancshares' average media sentiment score of 0.00 beat First Busey's score of -0.09 indicating that Equity Bancshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Equity Bancshares	Neutral
First Busey	Neutral

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of EQBK or BUSE?

71.8% of Equity Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 6.6% of Equity 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, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is EQBK or BUSE more profitable?

Equity Bancshares has a net margin of 18.66% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. Equity Bancshares' return on equity of 14.64% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Equity Bancshares	18.66%	14.64%	1.31%
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%

Which has more risk and volatility, EQBK or BUSE?

Equity Bancshares has a beta of 0.82, meaning that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.77, meaning that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend EQBK or BUSE?

Equity Bancshares currently has a consensus target price of $48.40, indicating a potential upside of 20.02%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $27.33, indicating a potential upside of 17.97%. Given Equity Bancshares' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Equity Bancshares is more favorable than First Busey.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Equity Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.43

Is EQBK or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Equity Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Equity Bancshares pays out 17.9% 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. Equity Bancshares has raised its dividend for 3 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 better earnings & valuation, EQBK or BUSE?

First Busey has higher revenue and earnings than Equity Bancshares. Equity 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
Equity Bancshares	$228.94M	3.39	$62.62M	$4.03	10.01
First Busey	$663.36M	3.11	$113.69M	$1.12	20.69

Summary

Equity Bancshares beats First Busey on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.