First United (FUNC) Competitors

First United (NASDAQ:FUNC) and Amerant Bancorp (NYSE:AMTB) are both small-cap banking companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends and earnings.

Does the media prefer FUNC or AMTB?

In the previous week, First United had 1 more articles in the media than Amerant Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for First United and 1 mentions for Amerant Bancorp. First United's average media sentiment score of 1.64 beat Amerant Bancorp's score of 0.00 indicating that First United is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First United	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Amerant Bancorp	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has more volatility and risk, FUNC or AMTB?

First United has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Amerant Bancorp has a beta of 1.31, suggesting that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is FUNC or AMTB a better dividend stock?

First United pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Amerant Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. First United pays out 24.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Amerant Bancorp pays out -180.0% 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. First United has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. First United is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, FUNC or AMTB?

First United has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Amerant Bancorp. Amerant Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First United, 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 United	$111.40M	1.86	$20.57M	$3.65	8.77
Amerant Bancorp	$605.50M	1.29	-$15.75M	-$0.20	-93.55

Do institutionals and insiders believe in FUNC or AMTB?

33.3% of First United shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.1% of Amerant Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.9% of First United shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Amerant Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts recommend FUNC or AMTB?

First United presently has a consensus target price of $42.00, indicating a potential upside of 31.17%. Given First United's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe First United is more favorable than Amerant Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First United	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Amerant Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00

Is FUNC or AMTB more profitable?

First United has a net margin of 20.53% compared to Amerant Bancorp's net margin of -2.35%. First United's return on equity of 13.27% beat Amerant Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First United	20.53%	13.27%	1.21%
Amerant Bancorp	-2.35%	7.17%	0.64%

Summary

First United beats Amerant Bancorp on 15 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.