Which has the lower trailing P/E, BUSE or FRME?

BUSE has the lower trailing P/E: BUSE trades at 10.67 and FRME at 12.78. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, BUSE or FRME?

Over the past five years, BUSE grew revenue faster — BUSE at a 16.75% CAGR versus FRME at 14.59%.

Does BUSE or FRME pay a bigger dividend?

BUSE yields 3.49% and FRME yields 3.67% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is BUSE or FRME more profitable?

BUSE runs the higher net margin — BUSE at 24.65% versus FRME at 17.08%.

How have BUSE and FRME total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, BUSE delivered 6.68% and FRME delivered 7.20% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

First Busey Corporation (BUSE) vs First Merchants Corporation (FRME)

A side-by-side comparison of First Busey Corporation and First Merchants Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of October 6, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

BUSE

First Busey Corporation

$2.50B

$29.55Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 12:10 PM EDT

FRME

First Merchants Corporation

$2.51B

$39.99Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 12:10 PM EDT

Total return — BUSE vs FRME

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

BUSE +92.6% (+6.8%/yr)FRME +102.5% (+7.3%/yr)FRME compounded faster over this window

BUSE FRME

BUSE vs FRME: by the numbers

•FRME is the larger company ($2.51B vs $2.50B market cap).
•BUSE trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (10.67 vs 12.78 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•BUSE converts more revenue to profit (24.65% vs 17.08% net margin).
•BUSE grew revenue faster over the past five years (16.75% vs 14.59% CAGR).
•FRME pays the higher dividend yield (3.67% vs 3.49%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	BUSE	FRME
P/E ratio	10.67	12.78
Forward P/E	11.59	12.31
PEG ratio	N/A	1.77
P/S ratio	2.67	2.31
P/B ratio	1.05	0.94

Profitability

Metric	BUSE	FRME
Operating margin	16.52%	18.95%
Net margin	24.65%	17.08%
ROE	9.69%	6.89%

First Busey Corporation: Gross margin is not shown for a lender or insurer: its revenue is interest, premiums and fees rather than the sale of goods, so there is no cost of goods sold to measure it against.

First Merchants Corporation: Gross margin is not shown for a lender or insurer: its revenue is interest, premiums and fees rather than the sale of goods, so there is no cost of goods sold to measure it against.

Dividends

Metric	BUSE	FRME
Dividend yield	3.49%	3.67%
Payout ratio	37.18%	46.65%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	BUSE	FRME
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	16.75%	14.59%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	-4.13%	7.24%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	7.08%	2.27%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, BUSE or FRME?: BUSE has the lower trailing P/E: BUSE trades at 10.67 and FRME at 12.78. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, BUSE or FRME?: Over the past five years, BUSE grew revenue faster — BUSE at a 16.75% CAGR versus FRME at 14.59%.
Does BUSE or FRME pay a bigger dividend?: BUSE yields 3.49% and FRME yields 3.67% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is BUSE or FRME more profitable?: BUSE runs the higher net margin — BUSE at 24.65% versus FRME at 17.08%.
How have BUSE and FRME total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, BUSE delivered 6.68% and FRME delivered 7.20% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full BUSE analysis Full FRME analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

First Busey P/E ratio First Merchants P/E ratio First Busey dividend yield First Merchants dividend yield First Busey ROE First Merchants ROE First Busey operating margin First Merchants operating margin First Busey revenue growth First Merchants revenue growth

First Busey & First Merchants appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Lowest P/E Ratio Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified October 6, 2026.