BankUnited (BKU) Competitors

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, valuation, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Does the media prefer ABCB or BKU?

In the previous week, BankUnited had 18 more articles in the media than Ameris Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 25 mentions for BankUnited and 7 mentions for Ameris Bancorp. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.48 beat BankUnited's score of 0.93 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
BankUnited	9 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	11 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ABCB or BKU a better dividend stock?

Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. BankUnited pays an annual dividend of $1.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Ameris Bancorp pays out 14.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. BankUnited pays out 38.5% 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. BankUnited has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years. BankUnited is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, ABCB or BKU?

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than BankUnited. BankUnited is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris Bancorp, 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
Ameris Bancorp	$1.12B	4.03	$358.68M	$5.40	12.16
BankUnited	$1.03B	2.84	$232.47M	$3.22	12.04

Which has more volatility & risk, ABCB or BKU?

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.93, suggesting that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BankUnited has a beta of 1.29, suggesting that its share price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate ABCB or BKU?

Ameris Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $71.43, indicating a potential upside of 8.80%. BankUnited has a consensus target price of $41.18, indicating a potential upside of 6.27%. Given Ameris Bancorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Ameris Bancorp is more favorable than BankUnited.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
BankUnited	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.18

Is ABCB or BKU more profitable?

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to BankUnited's net margin of 12.26%. Ameris Bancorp's return on equity of 9.57% beat BankUnited's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
BankUnited	12.26%	8.66%	0.69%

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in ABCB or BKU?

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.7% of BankUnited shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.4% of Ameris Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of BankUnited shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats BankUnited on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.