SunTrust Banks (STI) Competitors

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and SunTrust Banks (NYSE:STI) are both regional banks companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Does the media favor FRME or STI?

In the previous week, First Merchants had 4 more articles in the media than SunTrust Banks. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for First Merchants and 0 mentions for SunTrust Banks. First Merchants' average media sentiment score of 1.48 beat SunTrust Banks' score of 0.00 indicating that First Merchants is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
First Merchants	Positive
SunTrust Banks	Neutral

Do insiders & institutionals believe in FRME or STI?

73.9% of First Merchants shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of First Merchants shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of SunTrust Banks shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is FRME or STI more profitable?

First Merchants has a net margin of 21.35% compared to SunTrust Banks' net margin of 0.00%. First Merchants' return on equity of 9.88% beat SunTrust Banks' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Merchants	21.35%	9.88%	1.23%
SunTrust Banks	N/A	-10.88%	-17.06%

Do analysts recommend FRME or STI?

First Merchants currently has a consensus target price of $48.25, suggesting a potential upside of 19.73%. Given First Merchants' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe First Merchants is more favorable than SunTrust Banks.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Merchants	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
SunTrust Banks	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00

Which has better earnings and valuation, FRME or STI?

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than SunTrust Banks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants	$1.07B	2.17	$201.40M	$3.86	10.44
SunTrust Banks	N/A	N/A	-$19.78M	N/A	N/A

Which has more risk & volatility, FRME or STI?

First Merchants has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its stock price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SunTrust Banks has a beta of -0.16, meaning that its stock price is 116% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

First Merchants beats SunTrust Banks on 13 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.