First Commonwealth Financial (FCF) Competitors

First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) and Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WABC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, community ranking, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, earnings and profitability.

Does the media prefer FCF or WABC?

In the previous week, Westamerica Bancorporation had 2 more articles in the media than First Commonwealth Financial. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Westamerica Bancorporation and 2 mentions for First Commonwealth Financial. Westamerica Bancorporation's average media sentiment score of 0.78 beat First Commonwealth Financial's score of 0.55 indicating that Westamerica Bancorporation is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Commonwealth Financial	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Westamerica Bancorporation	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is FCF or WABC a better dividend stock?

First Commonwealth Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Westamerica Bancorporation pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. First Commonwealth Financial pays out 32.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Westamerica Bancorporation pays out 29.7% 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.

Is FCF or WABC more profitable?

Westamerica Bancorporation has a net margin of 48.35% compared to First Commonwealth Financial's net margin of 24.96%. Westamerica Bancorporation's return on equity of 21.99% beat First Commonwealth Financial's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Commonwealth Financial	24.96%	12.89%	1.44%
Westamerica Bancorporation	48.35%	21.99%	2.42%

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, FCF or WABC?

Westamerica Bancorporation has lower revenue, but higher earnings than First Commonwealth Financial. Westamerica Bancorporation is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Commonwealth Financial, 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
First Commonwealth Financial	$626.61M	2.23	$157.06M	$1.61	8.49
Westamerica Bancorporation	$327.54M	4.01	$161.77M	$5.92	8.32

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer FCF or WABC?

First Commonwealth Financial received 44 more outperform votes than Westamerica Bancorporation when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 54.65% of users gave First Commonwealth Financial an outperform vote while only 50.42% of users gave Westamerica Bancorporation an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
First Commonwealth Financial	Outperform Votes 282 54.65%	Underperform Votes 234 45.35%
Westamerica Bancorporation	Outperform Votes 238 50.42%	Underperform Votes 234 49.58%

Do analysts prefer FCF or WABC?

First Commonwealth Financial currently has a consensus target price of $16.25, suggesting a potential upside of 18.87%. Westamerica Bancorporation has a consensus target price of $53.50, suggesting a potential upside of 8.56%. Given First Commonwealth Financial's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe First Commonwealth Financial is more favorable than Westamerica Bancorporation.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Commonwealth Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Westamerica Bancorporation	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Which has more volatility & risk, FCF or WABC?

First Commonwealth Financial has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its share price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Westamerica Bancorporation has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of FCF or WABC?

72.6% of First Commonwealth Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.9% of Westamerica Bancorporation shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.0% of First Commonwealth Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.4% of Westamerica Bancorporation 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.

Summary

Westamerica Bancorporation beats First Commonwealth Financial on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.