Union Bankshares (UBSH) Competitors

First Horizon (NYSE:FHN) and Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSH) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, media sentiment, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability and institutional ownership.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in FHN or UBSH?

80.3% of First Horizon shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.4% of Union Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of First Horizon shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Union Bankshares shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media prefer FHN or UBSH?

In the previous week, First Horizon had 16 more articles in the media than Union Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for First Horizon and 0 mentions for Union Bankshares. First Horizon's average media sentiment score of 0.83 beat Union Bankshares' score of 0.00 indicating that First Horizon is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
First Horizon	Positive
Union Bankshares	Neutral

Is FHN or UBSH more profitable?

Union Bankshares has a net margin of 24.34% compared to First Horizon's net margin of 17.10%. First Horizon's return on equity of 10.55% beat Union Bankshares' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Horizon	17.10%	10.55%	1.13%
Union Bankshares	24.34%	9.35%	1.33%

Which has more risk and volatility, FHN or UBSH?

First Horizon has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Union Bankshares has a beta of 1.42, meaning that its stock price is 42% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, FHN or UBSH?

First Horizon has higher revenue and earnings than Union Bankshares. Union Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Horizon, 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 Horizon	$5.03B	2.29	$775M	$1.55	14.67
Union Bankshares	$633.03M	4.62	$146.25M	$2.71	13.17

Do analysts recommend FHN or UBSH?

First Horizon presently has a consensus price target of $23.34, suggesting a potential upside of 2.68%. Given First Horizon's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Horizon is more favorable than Union Bankshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Horizon	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71
Union Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00

Is FHN or UBSH a better dividend stock?

First Horizon pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Union Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. First Horizon pays out 38.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Union Bankshares pays out 33.9% 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.

Summary

First Horizon beats Union Bankshares on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.