West Bancorporation (WTBA) Competitors

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

Which has better valuation & earnings, WTBA or BUSE?

First Busey has higher revenue and earnings than West Bancorporation. West Bancorporation 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
West Bancorporation	$198.50M	1.72	$24.05M	$1.70	11.83
First Busey	$663.36M	3.11	$113.69M	$1.12	20.69

Does the media prefer WTBA or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 7 more articles in the media than West Bancorporation. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for First Busey and 0 mentions for West Bancorporation. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 0.03 beat West Bancorporation's score of 0.00 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
West Bancorporation	Neutral
First Busey	Neutral

Do analysts rate WTBA or BUSE?

West Bancorporation currently has a consensus target price of $20.50, suggesting a potential upside of 1.94%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $27.33, suggesting a potential upside of 17.97%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Busey is more favorable than West Bancorporation.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
West Bancorporation	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.43

Is WTBA or BUSE more profitable?

West Bancorporation has a net margin of 14.40% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. West Bancorporation's return on equity of 12.26% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
West Bancorporation	14.40%	12.26%	0.72%
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%

Which has more volatility & risk, WTBA or BUSE?

West Bancorporation has a beta of 0.88, meaning that its share price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.77, meaning that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of WTBA or BUSE?

44.3% of West Bancorporation shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 4.6% of West Bancorporation 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, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is WTBA or BUSE a better dividend stock?

West Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.0%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. West Bancorporation pays out 58.8% 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. West Bancorporation is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

First Busey beats West Bancorporation on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.