Washington Trust Bancorp (WASH) Competitors

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

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, WASH or BUSE?

First Busey has higher revenue and earnings than Washington Trust Bancorp. Washington Trust 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
Washington Trust Bancorp	$403.73M	1.29	-$28.06M	-$1.51	-17.86
First Busey	$663.36M	3.01	$113.69M	$1.12	19.92

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in WASH or BUSE?

65.8% of Washington Trust Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of Washington Trust Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is WASH or BUSE more profitable?

First Busey has a net margin of 9.48% compared to Washington Trust Bancorp's net margin of -6.10%. First Busey's return on equity of 9.76% beat Washington Trust Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Washington Trust Bancorp	-6.10%	9.14%	0.67%
First Busey	9.48%	9.76%	1.11%

Does the media refer more to WASH or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 8 more articles in the media than Washington Trust Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for First Busey and 5 mentions for Washington Trust Bancorp. Washington Trust Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat First Busey's score of 0.36 indicating that Washington Trust Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Washington Trust Bancorp	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Busey	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	3 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is WASH or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Washington Trust Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $2.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.3%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Washington Trust Bancorp pays out -148.3% 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. First Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years. Washington Trust Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk & volatility, WASH or BUSE?

Washington Trust Bancorp has a beta of 0.91, meaning that its share price is 9% less 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 analysts recommend WASH or BUSE?

Washington Trust Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $29.00, suggesting a potential upside of 7.53%. First Busey has a consensus price target of $27.17, suggesting a potential upside of 21.77%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than Washington Trust Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Washington Trust Bancorp	1 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Summary

First Busey beats Washington Trust Bancorp on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.