Advertisement
BUSE vs PRK
Which Stock Would AI Choose? First Busey Corporation (BUSE) vs. Park National Corporation (PRK) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Both BUSE and PRK are regional bank holding companies with low betas (a measure of stock volatility relative to the market) around 0.7, indicating stability in volatile markets.
- PRK shows stronger profitability with ROE (return on equity) of 13.87% and ROA (return on assets) of 1.84%, compared to BUSE's 7.02% ROE and 0.90% ROA.
- BUSE offers a higher dividend yield at 3.88% versus PRK's 2.46%, appealing to income-focused investors.
- Year-to-date performance favors PRK at 16.02% gains over BUSE's 13.80%, though BUSE leads over one year with 38.54% returns.
- Recent earnings beats for both: BUSE in Q4 2025 and PRK full-year 2025 with 18.9% net income growth.
- PRK has a larger market cap (market capitalization, total value of outstanding shares) at $3.17B versus $2.31B for BUSE.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines BUSE and PRK, two regional banking stocks offering exposure to community and commercial lending in the Midwest and beyond. Investors seeking value in the financial sector, particularly those prioritizing dividends, stability, or growth in net interest income (NII, revenue from loans minus deposit costs), may find insights here. Amid recent market activity, both have demonstrated resilience with low volatility and positive momentum, making them relevant for diversified portfolios focused on relative performance and sector positioning.
BUSE Overview and Recent Performance
First Busey Corporation (BUSE) is a bank holding company for Busey Bank, delivering retail and commercial banking, wealth management, and payment solutions across the central U.S. Its stock trades around $26.80, near the upper end of its 52-week range (19.91-27.65), reflecting steady appreciation. In recent market activity, BUSE posted year-to-date gains of 13.80% and one-year returns of 38.54%, supported by a trailing P/E (price-to-earnings ratio) of 18.23 and EPS (earnings per share) of $1.47 TTM. Sentiment has been bolstered by Q4 2025 earnings beats ($0.68 EPS vs. $0.62 expected) and a quarterly dividend of $0.26 (ex-date April 2026), amid favorable deposit growth and controlled expenses in a normalizing rate environment.
PRK Overview and Recent Performance
Park National Corporation (PRK) operates as the holding company for Park National Bank, focusing on commercial banking, trust, and wealth services in smaller U.S. communities. Shares hover near $175.45, close to the 52-week high (141.34-179.48), signaling robust momentum. Recent weeks have seen YTD returns of 16.02% and one-year gains of 26.25%, with a trailing P/E of 15.78 and elevated TTM EPS of $11.12. Positive sentiment stems from full-year 2025 net income growth of 18.9% to $180.1 million and a dividend increase, driven by strong loan demand and efficient operations despite sector headwinds like rate fluctuations.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page showcases 25 top-performing AI trading bots curated from over 351 available models that trade thousands of tickers across stocks, ETFs, and crypto. These bots employ diverse AI/ML strategies for various timeframes (e.g., 5min to 60min) and styles, with standout stats including annualized returns from +15.50% to +167.82%, win rates of 53.91% to 87.72%, and profit factors up to 11.70. Examples target sectors like semiconductors (NVDA, AMD), gold miners, and finance, featuring profit-to-drawdown ratios as high as 22.13. Ideal for current volatile conditions, they provide real-time signals with risk management. Explore these bots to enhance your trading edge.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Both BUSE and PRK center on regional banking models emphasizing commercial real estate loans, deposits, and trust services, but PRK edges in scale with a $3.17B market cap versus $2.31B. Growth drivers differ: PRK benefits from higher profit margins (33%) and ROE, supporting sustained earnings expansion, while BUSE leverages payment tech (FirsTech) for diversification. Recent momentum shows PRK stronger short-term, but BUSE excels longer-term. Risk factors are comparable—low betas mitigate market swings—though PRK's superior ROA suggests better asset efficiency. Market sentiment tilts toward PRK for stability amid banking sector pressures like non-performing loans (NCOs, net charge-offs).
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors PRK due to its higher price growth rating (56 vs. 52 for BUSE), consistent profitability metrics, and recent earnings momentum, positioning it better for trend continuation in regional banking. That said, BUSE remains compelling for yield seekers. Observable factors like relative ROE and stability tilt probabilities toward PRK in the near term.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is BUSE is a Hold and PRK is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
BUSE’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whilePRK’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s).
- BUSE’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- PRK’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
BUSE’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while PRK’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- BUSE’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 3 bearish.
- PRK’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
Price Growth
BUSE (@Regional Banks) experienced а +0.88% price change this week, while PRK (@Regional Banks) price change was +0.30% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Regional Banks industry was +0.72%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +5.07%, and the average quarterly price growth was +12.89%.
Reported Earning Dates
BUSE is expected to report earnings on Jul 28, 2026.
PRK is expected to report earnings on Jul 27, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Regional Banks (+0.72% weekly)Regional banks have a smaller reach than major banks, and cater mostly to one region of a country, such as a state or within a group of states. They offer services often similar – albeit with some limitations/smaller scale – compared to major banks. Taking deposits, making loans, mortgages, leases, credit cards , fund management, insurance and investment banking. SunTrust Banks, State Street Corp., M&T Bank Corp. are some examples of U.S. regional banks.
| BUSE | PRK | BUSE / PRK | |
| Capitalization | 2.41B | 3.2B | 75% |
| EBITDA | N/A | N/A | - |
| Gain YTD | 22.263 | 17.522 | 127% |
| P/E Ratio | 11.73 | 16.20 | 72% |
| Revenue | 791M | 587M | 135% |
| Total Cash | 181M | 137M | 132% |
| Total Debt | 506M | 33.9M | 1,493% |
BUSE | PRK | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 42 | 37 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 22 Undervalued | 71 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 58 | 42 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 36 | 39 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 45 | 47 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 91 | 54 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 85 | 85 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
BUSE's Valuation (22) in the Regional Banks industry is somewhat better than the same rating for PRK (71) in the Major Banks industry. This means that BUSE’s stock grew somewhat faster than PRK’s over the last 12 months.
PRK's Profit vs Risk Rating (42) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as BUSE (58) in the Regional Banks industry. This means that PRK’s stock grew similarly to BUSE’s over the last 12 months.
BUSE's SMR Rating (36) in the Regional Banks industry is in the same range as PRK (39) in the Major Banks industry. This means that BUSE’s stock grew similarly to PRK’s over the last 12 months.
BUSE's Price Growth Rating (45) in the Regional Banks industry is in the same range as PRK (47) in the Major Banks industry. This means that BUSE’s stock grew similarly to PRK’s over the last 12 months.
PRK's P/E Growth Rating (54) in the Major Banks industry is somewhat better than the same rating for BUSE (91) in the Regional Banks industry. This means that PRK’s stock grew somewhat faster than BUSE’s over the last 12 months.
| BUSE | PRK | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 68% | 2 days ago 64% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 54% | 2 days ago 64% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 56% | 2 days ago 49% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 61% | 2 days ago 53% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 62% | 2 days ago 56% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 54% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 55% | 12 days ago 51% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | N/A | N/A |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 59% | 2 days ago 59% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 52% | 2 days ago 54% |
Advertisement
BUSE and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, BUSE has been closely correlated with PRK. These tickers have moved in lockstep 88% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if BUSE jumps, then PRK could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To BUSE | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUSE | 100% | +0.99% | ||
| PRK - BUSE | 88% Closely correlated | -0.04% | ||
| EFSC - BUSE | 86% Closely correlated | +1.87% | ||
| FULT - BUSE | 86% Closely correlated | +0.66% | ||
| SRCE - BUSE | 86% Closely correlated | +1.22% | ||
| PEBO - BUSE | 85% Closely correlated | +1.02% | ||
More | ||||
PRK and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, PRK has been closely correlated with BUSE. These tickers have moved in lockstep 88% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if PRK jumps, then BUSE could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To PRK | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRK | 100% | -0.04% | ||
| BUSE - PRK | 88% Closely correlated | +0.99% | ||
| FCF - PRK | 87% Closely correlated | +0.87% | ||
| PEBO - PRK | 87% Closely correlated | +1.02% | ||
| UBSI - PRK | 86% Closely correlated | +1.17% | ||
| STBA - PRK | 86% Closely correlated | +1.00% | ||
More | ||||