First Commonwealth Financial (FCF) Competitors

First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) and First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings, dividends and media sentiment.

Does the media favor FCF or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Commonwealth Financial had 7 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 23 mentions for First Commonwealth Financial and 16 mentions for First Busey. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat First Commonwealth Financial's score of 0.63 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Commonwealth Financial	4 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	13 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Busey	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, FCF or BUSE?

First Commonwealth Financial has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Busey. First Commonwealth Financial 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 Commonwealth Financial	$490.58M	3.49	$142.57M	$1.30	12.56
First Busey	$663.36M	2.99	$113.69M	$1.12	19.76

Which has more volatility & risk, FCF or BUSE?

First Commonwealth Financial has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is FCF or BUSE more profitable?

First Commonwealth Financial has a net margin of 18.94% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. First Busey's return on equity of 9.76% beat First Commonwealth Financial's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Commonwealth Financial	18.94%	9.71%	1.18%
First Busey	9.48%	9.76%	1.11%

Do analysts rate FCF or BUSE?

First Commonwealth Financial currently has a consensus price target of $18.90, suggesting a potential upside of 15.74%. First Busey has a consensus price target of $27.17, suggesting a potential upside of 22.76%. Given First Busey's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Busey is more favorable than First Commonwealth Financial.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Commonwealth Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Is FCF or BUSE a better dividend stock?

First Commonwealth Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.54 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. First Commonwealth Financial pays out 41.5% 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 Commonwealth Financial has increased its dividend for 9 consecutive years and First Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years. First Busey is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

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

72.6% of First Commonwealth Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 2.2% of First Commonwealth Financial 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 stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

First Commonwealth Financial beats First Busey on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.