Towne Bank (TOWN) Competitors

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) and Towne Bank (NASDAQ:TOWN) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Is BUSE or TOWN a better dividend stock?

First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Towne Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. 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. Towne Bank pays out 47.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Busey has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years and Towne Bank has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years.

Do analysts rate BUSE or TOWN?

First Busey currently has a consensus price target of $27.33, indicating a potential upside of 10.98%. Towne Bank has a consensus price target of $40.67, indicating a potential upside of 12.34%. Given Towne Bank's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Towne Bank is more favorable than First Busey.

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

Does the media refer more to BUSE or TOWN?

In the previous week, First Busey had 4 more articles in the media than Towne Bank. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for First Busey and 5 mentions for Towne Bank. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 1.77 beat Towne Bank's score of 1.03 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Busey	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Towne Bank	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is BUSE or TOWN more profitable?

Towne Bank has a net margin of 16.49% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. Towne Bank's return on equity of 8.99% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%
Towne Bank	16.49%	8.99%	1.12%

Which has more volatility & risk, BUSE or TOWN?

First Busey has a beta of 0.82, indicating that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Towne Bank has a beta of 0.87, indicating that its stock price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better valuation and earnings, BUSE or TOWN?

Towne Bank has higher revenue and earnings than First Busey. Towne Bank 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
First Busey	$663.36M	3.31	$113.69M	$1.12	21.99
Towne Bank	$1.03B	2.65	$161.76M	$2.30	15.74

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

56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.0% of Towne Bank shares are held by institutional investors. 3.9% of First Busey shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.1% of Towne Bank shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Towne Bank beats First Busey on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.