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Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC) Competitors

Westamerica Bancorporation logo
$58.47 +0.12 (+0.21%)
As of 08/21/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

WABC vs. BUSE, CATY, FFBC, FMBH, and FRME

Should you buy Westamerica Bancorporation stock or one of its competitors? Westamerica Bancorporation's main competitors and comparable companies include First Busey (BUSE), Cathay General Bancorp (CATY), First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC), First Mid Bancshares (FMBH), and First Merchants (FRME). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "regional banks" industry.

How does Westamerica Bancorporation compare to First Busey?

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

First Busey presently has a consensus price target of $32.00, suggesting a potential upside of 5.61%. Westamerica Bancorporation has a consensus price target of $64.00, suggesting a potential upside of 9.46%. Given Westamerica Bancorporation's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Westamerica Bancorporation is more favorable than First Busey.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Busey
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
Westamerica Bancorporation
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

First Busey has higher revenue and earnings than Westamerica Bancorporation. First Busey is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Westamerica Bancorporation, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Busey$1.04B2.40$135.26M$2.4212.52
Westamerica Bancorporation$271.77M4.97$116.17M$4.5412.88

In the previous week, First Busey had 2 more articles in the media than Westamerica Bancorporation. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for First Busey and 1 mentions for Westamerica Bancorporation. Westamerica Bancorporation's average media sentiment score of 1.79 beat First Busey's score of 0.82 indicating that Westamerica Bancorporation is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Busey
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Westamerica Bancorporation
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

Westamerica Bancorporation has a net margin of 41.71% compared to First Busey's net margin of 21.00%. Westamerica Bancorporation's return on equity of 12.31% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Busey21.00% 10.48% 1.40%
Westamerica Bancorporation 41.71%12.31%1.88%

First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Westamerica Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. First Busey pays out 43.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Westamerica Bancorporation pays out 42.3% 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 Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years and Westamerica Bancorporation has increased its dividend for 34 consecutive years.

First Busey has a beta of 0.72, suggesting that its share price is 28% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Westamerica Bancorporation has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its share price is 44% less volatile than the broader market.

56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are held by institutional investors. 3.8% of First Busey shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Westamerica Bancorporation beats First Busey on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Westamerica Bancorporation compare to Cathay General Bancorp?

Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATY) and Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership and valuation.

Cathay General Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Westamerica Bancorporation. Cathay General Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Westamerica Bancorporation, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Cathay General Bancorp$1.38B3.00$315.12M$5.1212.17
Westamerica Bancorporation$271.77M4.97$116.17M$4.5412.88

Cathay General Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $62.25, indicating a potential downside of 0.08%. Westamerica Bancorporation has a consensus target price of $64.00, indicating a potential upside of 9.46%. Given Westamerica Bancorporation's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Westamerica Bancorporation is more favorable than Cathay General Bancorp.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Cathay General Bancorp
1 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
Westamerica Bancorporation
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

Cathay General Bancorp has a beta of 0.86, indicating that its share price is 14% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Westamerica Bancorporation has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its share price is 44% less volatile than the broader market.

Cathay General Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Westamerica Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Cathay General Bancorp pays out 29.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Westamerica Bancorporation pays out 42.3% 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. Westamerica Bancorporation has raised its dividend for 34 consecutive years. Westamerica Bancorporation is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

In the previous week, Cathay General Bancorp had 2 more articles in the media than Westamerica Bancorporation. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Cathay General Bancorp and 1 mentions for Westamerica Bancorporation. Westamerica Bancorporation's average media sentiment score of 1.79 beat Cathay General Bancorp's score of 0.62 indicating that Westamerica Bancorporation is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Cathay General Bancorp
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Westamerica Bancorporation
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

Westamerica Bancorporation has a net margin of 41.71% compared to Cathay General Bancorp's net margin of 24.66%. Westamerica Bancorporation's return on equity of 12.31% beat Cathay General Bancorp's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Cathay General Bancorp24.66% 11.71% 1.43%
Westamerica Bancorporation 41.71%12.31%1.88%

75.0% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are held by institutional investors. 4.5% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Westamerica Bancorporation beats Cathay General Bancorp on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Westamerica Bancorporation compare to First Financial Bancorp.?

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) and First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and risk.

Westamerica Bancorporation has a beta of 0.56, meaning that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 0.92, meaning that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the broader market.

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than Westamerica Bancorporation. First Financial Bancorp. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Westamerica Bancorporation, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Westamerica Bancorporation$271.77M4.97$116.17M$4.5412.88
First Financial Bancorp.$1.26B2.75$255.60M$2.8311.67

Westamerica Bancorporation currently has a consensus target price of $64.00, suggesting a potential upside of 9.46%. First Financial Bancorp. has a consensus target price of $33.67, suggesting a potential upside of 1.93%. Given Westamerica Bancorporation's higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Westamerica Bancorporation is more favorable than First Financial Bancorp..

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Westamerica Bancorporation
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
First Financial Bancorp.
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

Westamerica Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. First Financial Bancorp. pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Westamerica Bancorporation pays out 42.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Financial Bancorp. pays out 35.3% 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. Westamerica Bancorporation has increased its dividend for 34 consecutive years and First Financial Bancorp. has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Westamerica Bancorporation is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

In the previous week, First Financial Bancorp. had 1 more articles in the media than Westamerica Bancorporation. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for First Financial Bancorp. and 1 mentions for Westamerica Bancorporation. Westamerica Bancorporation's average media sentiment score of 1.79 beat First Financial Bancorp.'s score of 1.76 indicating that Westamerica Bancorporation is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Westamerica Bancorporation
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 Financial Bancorp.
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

81.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by institutional investors. 5.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held 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.

Westamerica Bancorporation has a net margin of 41.71% compared to First Financial Bancorp.'s net margin of 20.77%. Westamerica Bancorporation's return on equity of 12.31% beat First Financial Bancorp.'s return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Westamerica Bancorporation41.71% 12.31% 1.88%
First Financial Bancorp. 20.77%11.13%1.49%

Summary

Westamerica Bancorporation beats First Financial Bancorp. on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Westamerica Bancorporation compare to First Mid Bancshares?

Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) and First Mid Bancshares (NASDAQ:FMBH) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Westamerica Bancorporation has a net margin of 41.71% compared to First Mid Bancshares' net margin of 19.76%. Westamerica Bancorporation's return on equity of 12.31% beat First Mid Bancshares' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Westamerica Bancorporation41.71% 12.31% 1.88%
First Mid Bancshares 19.76%10.86%1.29%

Westamerica Bancorporation has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its share price is 44% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Mid Bancshares has a beta of 0.78, suggesting that its share price is 22% less volatile than the broader market.

81.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 47.6% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.0% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Westamerica Bancorporation currently has a consensus target price of $64.00, suggesting a potential upside of 9.46%. First Mid Bancshares has a consensus target price of $54.63, suggesting a potential upside of 8.64%. Given Westamerica Bancorporation's higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Westamerica Bancorporation is more favorable than First Mid Bancshares.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Westamerica Bancorporation
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
First Mid Bancshares
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

Westamerica Bancorporation has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Mid Bancshares. First Mid Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Westamerica Bancorporation, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Westamerica Bancorporation$271.77M4.97$116.17M$4.5412.88
First Mid Bancshares$466.04M2.87$91.75M$4.0312.48

Westamerica Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. First Mid Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Westamerica Bancorporation pays out 42.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Mid Bancshares pays out 25.8% 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. Westamerica Bancorporation has raised its dividend for 34 consecutive years and First Mid Bancshares has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Westamerica Bancorporation is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

In the previous week, Westamerica Bancorporation and Westamerica Bancorporation both had 1 articles in the media. Westamerica Bancorporation's average media sentiment score of 1.79 beat First Mid Bancshares' score of 1.02 indicating that Westamerica Bancorporation is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Westamerica Bancorporation
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 Mid Bancshares
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Westamerica Bancorporation beats First Mid Bancshares on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Westamerica Bancorporation compare to First Merchants?

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability, earnings and media sentiment.

In the previous week, First Merchants had 6 more articles in the media than Westamerica Bancorporation. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for First Merchants and 1 mentions for Westamerica Bancorporation. Westamerica Bancorporation's average media sentiment score of 1.79 beat First Merchants' score of 0.91 indicating that Westamerica Bancorporation is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Merchants
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Westamerica Bancorporation
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 Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Westamerica Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. First Merchants pays out 47.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Westamerica Bancorporation pays out 42.3% 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 Merchants has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years and Westamerica Bancorporation has raised its dividend for 34 consecutive years.

Westamerica Bancorporation has a net margin of 41.71% compared to First Merchants' net margin of 17.05%. Westamerica Bancorporation's return on equity of 12.31% beat First Merchants' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Merchants17.05% 8.86% 1.12%
Westamerica Bancorporation 41.71%12.31%1.88%

First Merchants currently has a consensus price target of $49.00, suggesting a potential upside of 16.58%. Westamerica Bancorporation has a consensus price target of $64.00, suggesting a potential upside of 9.46%. Given First Merchants' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe First Merchants is more favorable than Westamerica Bancorporation.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Merchants
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
Westamerica Bancorporation
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

First Merchants has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Westamerica Bancorporation has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the broader market.

73.9% of First Merchants shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of First Merchants shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are owned 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.

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than Westamerica Bancorporation. Westamerica Bancorporation is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Merchants, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants$691.54M3.82$226M$3.1213.47
Westamerica Bancorporation$271.77M4.97$116.17M$4.5412.88

Summary

Westamerica Bancorporation beats First Merchants on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding WABC and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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WABC vs. The Competition

MetricWestamerica BancorporationBanks IndustryFinance SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$1.35B$23.20B$13.81B$12.76B
Dividend Yield3.29%3.19%5.89%11.08%
P/E Ratio12.8827.5629.6024.20
Price / Sales4.979.45518.48109.45
Price / Cash11.7615.9938.3153.23
Price / Book1.581.362.186.37
Net Income$116.17M$2.58B$1.31B$347.74M
7 Day Performance-2.35%-1.12%-0.34%0.06%
1 Month Performance-2.87%1.83%1.75%2.86%
1 Year Performance15.23%22.82%10.31%17.13%

Westamerica Bancorporation Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
WABC
Westamerica Bancorporation
2.8403 of 5 stars
$58.47
+0.2%
$64.00
+9.5%
+20.1%$1.35B$271.77M12.88590
BUSE
First Busey
4.527 of 5 stars
$30.95
-0.4%
$32.00
+3.4%
+30.7%$2.55B$789.53M12.781,948
CATY
Cathay General Bancorp
3.4923 of 5 stars
$64.48
+0.1%
$62.25
-3.5%
+30.6%$4.30B$1.38B12.591,268
FFBC
First Financial Bancorp.
3.1609 of 5 stars
$33.95
-0.6%
$33.67
-0.8%
+29.5%$3.56B$1.26B11.992,199
FMBH
First Mid Bancshares
3.5681 of 5 stars
$51.50
-0.9%
$54.63
+6.1%
+32.0%$1.37B$466.04M12.791,170

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This page (NASDAQ:WABC) was last updated on 8/22/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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