First United (FUNC) Competitors

First Mid Bancshares (NASDAQ:FMBH) and First United (NASDAQ:FUNC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, dividends and profitability.

Does the media favor FMBH or FUNC?

In the previous week, First Mid Bancshares had 5 more articles in the media than First United. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for First Mid Bancshares and 3 mentions for First United. First United's average media sentiment score of 1.87 beat First Mid Bancshares' score of 1.19 indicating that First United is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Mid Bancshares	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
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

Is FMBH or FUNC a better dividend stock?

First Mid Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. First United pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. First Mid Bancshares pays out 28.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First United pays out 24.1% 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 Mid Bancshares has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and First United has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, FMBH or FUNC?

First Mid Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than First United. First United is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Mid Bancshares, 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 Mid Bancshares	$453.67M	2.08	$78.90M	$3.52	11.19
First United	$111.40M	2.14	$20.57M	$3.65	10.07

Do analysts prefer FMBH or FUNC?

First Mid Bancshares presently has a consensus target price of $43.33, suggesting a potential upside of 9.98%. First United has a consensus target price of $42.00, suggesting a potential upside of 14.22%. Given First United's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First United is more favorable than First Mid Bancshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Mid Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
First United	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of FMBH or FUNC?

47.6% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.3% of First United shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.7% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 7.9% of First United shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more risk & volatility, FMBH or FUNC?

First Mid Bancshares has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its share price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First United has a beta of 0.7, suggesting that its share price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is FMBH or FUNC more profitable?

First United has a net margin of 20.53% compared to First Mid Bancshares' net margin of 18.32%. First United's return on equity of 13.05% beat First Mid Bancshares' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Mid Bancshares	18.32%	10.09%	1.15%
First United	20.53%	13.05%	1.21%

Summary

First United beats First Mid Bancshares on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.