Merchants Bancorp (MBIN) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer MBIN or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 2 more articles in the media than Merchants Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for First Busey and 2 mentions for Merchants Bancorp. Merchants Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.61 beat First Busey's score of 1.15 indicating that Merchants Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merchants Bancorp	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
First Busey	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, MBIN or BUSE?

Merchants Bancorp has a beta of 1.3, meaning that its share price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.81, meaning that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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

24.6% of Merchants Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. 34.8% of Merchants Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are owned by company 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 preferable earnings and valuation, MBIN or BUSE?

Merchants Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Busey. Merchants Bancorp 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
Merchants Bancorp	$1.45B	1.04	$320.39M	$4.55	7.25
First Busey	$557.44M	3.75	$113.69M	$1.12	20.93

Do analysts rate MBIN or BUSE?

Merchants Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $38.33, suggesting a potential upside of 16.16%. First Busey has a consensus price target of $27.17, suggesting a potential upside of 15.90%. Given Merchants Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Merchants Bancorp is more favorable than First Busey.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merchants Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Is MBIN or BUSE more profitable?

Merchants Bancorp has a net margin of 18.06% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. Merchants Bancorp's return on equity of 16.06% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merchants Bancorp	18.06%	16.06%	1.34%
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%

Is MBIN or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Merchants Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Merchants Bancorp pays out 8.8% 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. Merchants Bancorp has raised its dividend for 8 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.

Summary

Merchants Bancorp beats First Busey on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.