Which Is a Better Investment, BankUnited Inc or NBT Bancorp Inc. Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
September 03, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc.

NBT Bancorp Inc., a financial holding company, provides personal and commercial banking, retail banking, and wealth management services in the United States. It operates through Banking, Retirement Plan Administration, and All Other segments. The company offers demand deposit, savings, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts; and indirect and direct consumer loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, residential mortgages, business banking loans, commercial and industrial loans, agricultural loans, commercial construction loans, commercial real estate loans, indirect auto loans, and other consumer loans, as well as agricultural lending, personal lines of credit, overdraft protection, and second mortgage loans. It also provides trust and investment services; financial planning and life insurance services; and retirement plan and health savings account recordkeeping and administration, and actuarial services. In addition, the company offers insurance products, such as personal property and casualty, business liability, and commercial insurance; and other products and services through a network of ATM locations and 24-hour online, mobile, and telephone channels that enable customers to check balances, make deposits, transfer funds, pay bills, access statements, apply for loans, and access various other products and services. Further, it operates as a property management and passive investment company, as well as investment advisor that provides investment management and financial consulting services. The company serves retail, commercial, and municipal customers. It operates in upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, Vermont, southern Maine, and central and northwestern Connecticut. NBT Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Norwich, New York.

BankUnited, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, payments and cash management services. Its loans portfolio includes commercial loans, including equipment loans, secured and unsecured lines of credit, formula-based lines of credit, owner-occupied commercial real estate term loans and lines of credit, mortgage warehouse lines, subscription finance facilities, letters of credit, commercial credit cards, small business administration and U.S. department of agriculture product offerings, export-import bank financing products, trade finance, and business acquisition finance credit facilities; commercial real estate loans; residential mortgages; and other consumer loans. The company offers loan servicing and deposit transaction processing systems, cloud-based data storage, electronic funds transfer transaction processing, online banking services, ERP systems and computer and networking infrastructure. It operates through a network of banking centers located in Florida counties and the New York metropolitan area, as well as Dallas, Texas. The company was formerly known as BU Financial Corporation. BankUnited, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida.

Latest Banks and NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited, Inc. Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, NBT Bancorp Inc. had a $2.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $750.0 million. NBT Bancorp Inc.’s stock is up 24.3% in 2026, up 0.4% in the previous five trading days and up 16.64% in the past year.

Currently, NBT Bancorp Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 12.6. NBT Bancorp Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $723.8 million with a 29.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 17.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.175 per share for the current fiscal year. NBT Bancorp Inc. currently has a 2.9% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, BankUnited, Inc. had a $3.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 60th percentile of all stocks. BankUnited, Inc.’s stock is up 3% in 2026, down 1.4% in the previous five trading days and up 17.3% in the past year.

Currently, BankUnited, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 12.5. BankUnited, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.0 billion with a 26.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 4.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.903 per share for the current fiscal year. BankUnited, Inc. currently has a 2.9% dividend yield.

How We Compare NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc. Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
NBT Bancorp Inc. NBTB A
BankUnited, Inc. BKU B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

NBT Bancorp Inc. has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong. BankUnited, Inc. has a Growth Score of 77, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: NBT Bancorp Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, NBT Bancorp Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than BankUnited, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, NBT Bancorp Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
NBT Bancorp Inc. NBTB C
BankUnited, Inc. BKU C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

NBT Bancorp Inc. has a Momentum Score of 58, which is Average. BankUnited, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 47, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
NBT Bancorp Inc. NBTB D
BankUnited, Inc. BKU F

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

NBT Bancorp Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 31, which is Negative. BankUnited, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 20, which is Very Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

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Other NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Momentum and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

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Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited or Inc. Stock?

Overall, NBT Bancorp Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 95, Momentum Score of 58 and Estimate Revisions Score of 31.

BankUnited, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 77, Momentum Score of 47 and Estimate Revisions Score of 20.

Comparing NBT Bancorp Inc., BankUnited and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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