Washington Trust Bancorp (WASH) Competitors

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

Do analysts prefer BUSE or WASH?

First Busey currently has a consensus price target of $27.33, indicating a potential upside of 11.07%. Washington Trust Bancorp has a consensus price target of $29.00, indicating a potential downside of 3.01%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than Washington Trust Bancorp.

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
Washington Trust Bancorp	1 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Is BUSE or WASH more profitable?

First Busey has a net margin of 9.48% compared to Washington Trust Bancorp's net margin of -6.10%. Washington Trust Bancorp's return on equity of 9.05% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%
Washington Trust Bancorp	-6.10%	9.05%	0.68%

Is BUSE or WASH a better dividend stock?

First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Washington Trust Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $2.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.5%. 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. Washington Trust Bancorp pays out -148.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. 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.

Does the media refer more to BUSE or WASH?

In the previous week, First Busey had 2 more articles in the media than Washington Trust Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for First Busey and 4 mentions for Washington Trust Bancorp. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 1.76 beat Washington Trust Bancorp's score of 1.28 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	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Washington Trust Bancorp	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, BUSE or WASH?

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
First Busey	$663.36M	3.30	$113.69M	$1.12	21.97
Washington Trust Bancorp	$403.73M	1.42	-$28.06M	-$1.51	-19.80

Do insiders & institutionals believe in BUSE or WASH?

56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.8% of Washington Trust Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.9% of First Busey shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Washington Trust Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more risk & volatility, BUSE or WASH?

First Busey has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Washington Trust Bancorp has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

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