WesBanco (WSBC) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer WSBC or BUSE?

In the previous week, WesBanco had 4 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 11 mentions for WesBanco and 7 mentions for First Busey. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 0.41 beat WesBanco's score of 0.39 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
WesBanco	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
First Busey	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, WSBC or BUSE?

WesBanco has higher revenue and earnings than First Busey. WesBanco 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
WesBanco	$953.62M	3.31	$151.51M	$1.53	21.59
First Busey	$663.36M	3.26	$113.69M	$1.07	22.60

Is WSBC or BUSE more profitable?

WesBanco has a net margin of 10.52% compared to First Busey's net margin of 8.32%. First Busey's return on equity of 8.46% beat WesBanco's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
WesBanco	10.52%	6.07%	0.83%
First Busey	8.32%	8.46%	0.96%

Which has more volatility and risk, WSBC or BUSE?

WesBanco has a beta of 0.85, indicating that its share price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate WSBC or BUSE?

WesBanco currently has a consensus target price of $38.71, indicating a potential upside of 17.18%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $27.67, indicating a potential upside of 14.42%. Given WesBanco's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe WesBanco is more favorable than First Busey.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
WesBanco	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in WSBC or BUSE?

61.4% of WesBanco shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.8% of WesBanco shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is WSBC or BUSE a better dividend stock?

WesBanco pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. WesBanco pays out 96.7% 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 pays out 93.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. WesBanco has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years and First Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years. WesBanco is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

WesBanco beats First Busey on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.