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Nicolet Bankshares (NIC) Competitors

Nicolet Bankshares logo
$168.39 +0.37 (+0.22%)
Closing price 09/18/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$168.20 -0.18 (-0.11%)
As of 09/18/2026 04:29 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

NIC vs. BUSE, CTBI, FFBC, FRME, and GSBC

Should you buy Nicolet Bankshares stock or one of its competitors? Nicolet Bankshares's main competitors and comparable companies include First Busey (BUSE), Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI), First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC), First Merchants (FRME), and Great Southern Bancorp (GSBC). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "regional banks" industry.

How does Nicolet Bankshares compare to First Busey?

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

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.2% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of First Busey shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Nicolet Bankshares has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Busey. First Busey is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nicolet Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Nicolet Bankshares$556.52M6.34$150.69M$8.8119.11
First Busey$1.04B2.40$135.26M$2.4212.53

Nicolet Bankshares presently has a consensus target price of $183.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8.68%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $32.00, suggesting a potential upside of 5.54%. Given Nicolet Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Nicolet Bankshares is more favorable than First Busey.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares
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)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

In the previous week, First Busey had 3 more articles in the media than Nicolet Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for First Busey and 1 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares. Nicolet Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat First Busey's score of 0.50 indicating that Nicolet Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its share price is 29% less volatile than the broader market.

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 16.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Busey pays out 43.0% 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. 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.

Nicolet Bankshares has a net margin of 21.77% compared to First Busey's net margin of 21.00%. Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity of 11.36% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares21.77% 11.36% 1.62%
First Busey 21.00%10.48%1.40%

Summary

Nicolet Bankshares beats First Busey on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Nicolet Bankshares compare to Community Trust Bancorp?

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) and Community Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ:CTBI) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Community Trust Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 16.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Community Trust Bancorp pays out 43.6% 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. Nicolet Bankshares has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Community Trust Bancorp has increased its dividend for 44 consecutive years. Community Trust Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 60.2% of Community Trust Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 7.2% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.6% of Community Trust Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Nicolet Bankshares had 1 more articles in the media than Community Trust Bancorp. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares and 0 mentions for Community Trust Bancorp. Nicolet Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat Community Trust Bancorp's score of 1.44 indicating that Nicolet Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Nicolet Bankshares Very Positive
Community Trust Bancorp Positive

Nicolet Bankshares currently has a consensus target price of $183.00, indicating a potential upside of 8.68%. Community Trust Bancorp has a consensus target price of $81.50, indicating a potential upside of 7.34%. Given Nicolet Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Nicolet Bankshares is more favorable than Community Trust Bancorp.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
Community Trust Bancorp
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Community Trust Bancorp has a beta of 0.52, meaning that its stock price is 48% less volatile than the broader market.

Community Trust Bancorp has a net margin of 25.55% compared to Nicolet Bankshares' net margin of 21.77%. Community Trust Bancorp's return on equity of 12.52% beat Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares21.77% 11.36% 1.62%
Community Trust Bancorp 25.55%12.52%1.60%

Nicolet Bankshares has higher revenue and earnings than Community Trust Bancorp. Community Trust Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nicolet Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Nicolet Bankshares$556.52M6.34$150.69M$8.8119.11
Community Trust Bancorp$409.34M3.37$98.06M$5.9712.72

Summary

Nicolet Bankshares beats Community Trust Bancorp on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Nicolet Bankshares compare to First Financial Bancorp.?

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

In the previous week, First Financial Bancorp. had 2 more articles in the media than Nicolet Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for First Financial Bancorp. and 1 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares. Nicolet Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat First Financial Bancorp.'s score of 0.13 indicating that Nicolet Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Nicolet Bankshares
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
First Financial Bancorp.
0 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than Nicolet Bankshares. First Financial Bancorp. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nicolet Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Nicolet Bankshares$556.52M6.34$150.69M$8.8119.11
First Financial Bancorp.$1.26B2.67$255.60M$2.8311.34

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 0.91, indicating that its share price is 9% less volatile than the broader market.

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. First Financial Bancorp. pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 16.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Financial Bancorp. pays out 36.7% 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. Nicolet Bankshares has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years and First Financial Bancorp. has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Nicolet Bankshares has a net margin of 21.77% compared to First Financial Bancorp.'s net margin of 20.77%. Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity of 11.36% beat First Financial Bancorp.'s return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares21.77% 11.36% 1.62%
First Financial Bancorp. 20.77%11.13%1.49%

Nicolet Bankshares currently has a consensus target price of $183.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8.68%. First Financial Bancorp. has a consensus target price of $33.67, suggesting a potential upside of 4.91%. Given Nicolet Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Nicolet Bankshares is more favorable than First Financial Bancorp..

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Nicolet Bankshares
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
First Financial Bancorp.
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by institutional investors. 7.2% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Nicolet Bankshares beats First Financial Bancorp. on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Nicolet Bankshares compare to First Merchants?

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) and First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, media sentiment, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and risk.

Nicolet Bankshares currently has a consensus price target of $183.00, indicating a potential upside of 8.68%. First Merchants has a consensus price target of $49.00, indicating a potential upside of 19.89%. Given First Merchants' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Merchants 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)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
First Merchants
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

In the previous week, First Merchants had 2 more articles in the media than Nicolet Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for First Merchants and 1 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares. Nicolet Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat First Merchants' score of 0.34 indicating that Nicolet Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Nicolet Bankshares
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
First Merchants
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Merchants has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

Nicolet Bankshares has a net margin of 21.77% compared to First Merchants' net margin of 17.05%. Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity of 11.36% beat First Merchants' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Nicolet Bankshares21.77% 11.36% 1.62%
First Merchants 17.05%8.86%1.12%

43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.9% of First Merchants shares are held by institutional investors. 7.2% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of First Merchants shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. First Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 16.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Merchants pays out 47.4% 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. Nicolet Bankshares has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and First Merchants has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years. First Merchants is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than Nicolet Bankshares. First Merchants is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nicolet Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Nicolet Bankshares$556.52M6.34$150.69M$8.8119.11
First Merchants$1.05B2.44$226M$3.1213.10

Summary

Nicolet Bankshares beats First Merchants on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Nicolet Bankshares compare to Great Southern Bancorp?

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

Nicolet Bankshares has a net margin of 21.77% compared to Great Southern Bancorp's net margin of 20.72%. Nicolet Bankshares' return on equity of 11.36% beat Great Southern Bancorp's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Great Southern Bancorp20.72% 10.83% 1.22%
Nicolet Bankshares 21.77%11.36%1.62%

Nicolet Bankshares has higher revenue and earnings than Great Southern Bancorp. Great Southern Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nicolet Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Great Southern Bancorp$342.78M2.51$70.97M$6.0213.11
Nicolet Bankshares$556.52M6.34$150.69M$8.8119.11

41.7% of Great Southern Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 43.1% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. 29.8% of Great Southern Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.2% of Nicolet Bankshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Great Southern Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Nicolet Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Great Southern Bancorp pays out 28.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Nicolet Bankshares pays out 16.3% 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. Nicolet Bankshares has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years.

Great Southern Bancorp presently has a consensus target price of $74.00, suggesting a potential downside of 6.22%. Nicolet Bankshares has a consensus target price of $183.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8.68%. Given Nicolet Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Nicolet Bankshares is more favorable than Great Southern Bancorp.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Great Southern Bancorp
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33
Nicolet Bankshares
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86

In the previous week, Great Southern Bancorp had 3 more articles in the media than Nicolet Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Great Southern Bancorp and 1 mentions for Nicolet Bankshares. Nicolet Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat Great Southern Bancorp's score of 0.26 indicating that Nicolet Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Great Southern Bancorp
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Nicolet Bankshares
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

Great Southern Bancorp has a beta of 0.48, indicating that its stock price is 52% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Nicolet Bankshares has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Nicolet Bankshares beats Great Southern Bancorp on 17 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding NIC and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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NIC vs. The Competition

MetricNicolet BanksharesBanks IndustryFinance SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$3.53B$23.41B$13.84B$23.07B
Dividend Yield0.86%3.08%5.94%3.62%
P/E Ratio19.1127.0325.3128.19
Price / Sales6.349.38510.8519.56
Price / Cash14.9615.5530.0719.32
Price / Book1.981.372.734.70
Net Income$150.69M$2.58B$1.31B$1.07B
7 Day Performance-1.80%-0.73%-0.30%-1.26%
1 Month Performance-2.67%0.17%-0.36%-4.29%
1 Year Performance25.78%22.23%7.79%8.41%

Nicolet Bankshares Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
NIC
Nicolet Bankshares
3.7322 of 5 stars
$168.39
+0.2%
$183.00
+8.7%
+25.8%$3.53B$556.52M19.111,621
BUSE
First Busey
3.6775 of 5 stars
$30.42
-0.8%
$32.00
+5.2%
+22.6%$2.53B$1.04B12.571,948
CTBI
Community Trust Bancorp
4.4447 of 5 stars
$77.06
-0.9%
$81.50
+5.8%
+34.4%$1.41B$409.34M12.91980
FFBC
First Financial Bancorp.
2.5872 of 5 stars
$32.61
-1.1%
$33.67
+3.2%
+21.7%$3.46B$1.26B11.522,199
FRME
First Merchants
4.4449 of 5 stars
$41.17
-2.1%
$49.00
+19.0%
+1.4%$2.64B$1.05B13.202,086

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This page (NYSE:NIC) was last updated on 9/21/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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