Park National (PRK) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer PRK or BUSE?

In the previous week, Park National had 21 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 24 mentions for Park National and 3 mentions for First Busey. Park National's average media sentiment score of 0.06 beat First Busey's score of -0.56 indicating that Park National is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Park National	4 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
First Busey	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Negative

Is PRK or BUSE a better dividend stock?

Park National pays an annual dividend of $4.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Park National pays out 41.6% 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. Park National has raised its dividend for 8 consecutive years and First Busey has raised 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 better earnings & valuation, PRK or BUSE?

Park National has higher earnings, but lower revenue than First Busey. Park National 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
Park National	$543.45M	4.73	$151.42M	$10.29	15.54
First Busey	$663.36M	3.14	$113.69M	$1.12	20.87

Which has more volatility & risk, PRK or BUSE?

Park National has a beta of 0.72, meaning that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.77, meaning that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend PRK or BUSE?

Park National presently has a consensus price target of $177.75, indicating a potential upside of 11.17%. First Busey has a consensus price target of $27.33, indicating a potential upside of 16.96%. Given First Busey's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Busey is more favorable than Park National.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Park National	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 PRK or BUSE more profitable?

Park National has a net margin of 23.46% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. Park National's return on equity of 12.31% beat First Busey's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Park National	23.46%	12.31%	1.50%
First Busey	9.48%	8.76%	1.04%

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in PRK or BUSE?

62.7% of Park National shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.7% of Park National shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of First Busey shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Park National beats First Busey on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.