Nicolet Bankshares (NIC) Competitors

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

Which has more risk & volatility, NIC or BUSE?

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.77, suggesting that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media prefer NIC or BUSE?

In the previous week, First Busey had 21 more articles in the media than Nicolet Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 28 mentions for First Busey and 7 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 0.86 beat Nicolet Bankshares' score of 0.20 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Nicolet Bankshares	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
First Busey	9 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

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

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are held by institutional investors. 16.4% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is NIC or BUSE more profitable?

Nicolet Bankshares has a net margin of 25.12% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity of 11.53% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares	25.12%	11.53%	1.53%
First Busey	9.48%	9.76%	1.11%

Is NIC or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 14.7% 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. Nicolet Bankshares has increased its dividend for 2 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.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, NIC or BUSE?

Nicolet Bankshares has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Busey. Nicolet Bankshares 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
Nicolet Bankshares	$520.63M	3.86	$124.06M	$8.71	15.30
First Busey	$663.36M	3.13	$113.69M	$1.12	20.73

Do analysts recommend NIC or BUSE?

Nicolet Bankshares presently has a consensus price target of $145.33, indicating a potential upside of 9.07%. First Busey has a consensus price target of $27.17, indicating a potential upside of 17.00%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Busey is more favorable than Nicolet Bankshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33
First Busey	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Summary

First Busey beats Nicolet Bankshares on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.