Primis Financial (FRST) Competitors

Atlantic Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:AUB) and Primis Financial (NASDAQ:FRST) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, media sentiment, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Does the media favor AUB or FRST?

In the previous week, Atlantic Union Bankshares had 5 more articles in the media than Primis Financial. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Atlantic Union Bankshares and 5 mentions for Primis Financial. Atlantic Union Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.47 beat Primis Financial's score of 0.47 indicating that Atlantic Union Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Atlantic Union Bankshares	9 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Primis Financial	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is AUB or FRST a better dividend stock?

Atlantic Union Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Primis Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Atlantic Union Bankshares pays out 62.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Primis Financial pays out -137.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Atlantic Union Bankshares has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Atlantic Union Bankshares is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of AUB or FRST?

78.6% of Atlantic Union Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Primis Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of Atlantic Union Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 11.0% of Primis Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, AUB or FRST?

Atlantic Union Bankshares has higher revenue and earnings than Primis Financial. Primis Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Atlantic Union Bankshares, 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
Atlantic Union Bankshares	$857.44M	5.54	$209.13M	$2.19	15.22
Primis Financial	$170.49M	1.65	-$16.20M	-$0.29	-39.31

Which has more volatility & risk, AUB or FRST?

Atlantic Union Bankshares has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its share price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Primis Financial has a beta of 0.74, suggesting that its share price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AUB or FRST more profitable?

Atlantic Union Bankshares has a net margin of 15.53% compared to Primis Financial's net margin of -2.94%. Atlantic Union Bankshares' return on equity of 8.50% beat Primis Financial's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Atlantic Union Bankshares	15.53%	8.50%	1.06%
Primis Financial	-2.94%	-1.83%	-0.18%

Do analysts recommend AUB or FRST?

Atlantic Union Bankshares presently has a consensus target price of $39.00, suggesting a potential upside of 17.03%. Primis Financial has a consensus target price of $7.50, suggesting a potential downside of 34.21%. Given Atlantic Union Bankshares' higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Atlantic Union Bankshares is more favorable than Primis Financial.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Atlantic Union Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83
Primis Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Summary

Atlantic Union Bankshares beats Primis Financial on 17 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.