First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $31.00 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is neutral: Seven brokerages give First Busey an average “Hold” rating, with a consensus 12-month price target of $31.00 versus the stock’s recent price of $29.24.
• Third-quarter results missed expectations: EPS came in at $0.63 versus the $0.67 consensus, while revenue was $194.25 million versus $195.77 million expected. Net interest margin narrowed and credit-loss provisions rose sharply to $9.6 million.
• Balance-sheet and shareholder returns provided support: Deposits increased to $15.54 billion, the company repurchased about 1.97 million shares, and it declared a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share, representing a 3.6% annualized yield.

First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.00.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of First Busey from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of First Busey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of First Busey from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on shares of First Busey from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of First Busey from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st.

More First Busey News

Here are the key news stories impacting First Busey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deposits increased to $15.54 billion from $15.13 billion in the previous quarter, while First Busey repurchased approximately 1.97 million shares for $59.6 million—both supportive of funding stability and per-share value. Nonperforming assets remained relatively contained at $83.6 million, or 0.45% of total assets. First Busey Q3 Net Income Falls to $55.8 Million
• Neutral Sentiment: First Busey reported third-quarter net income of $55.8 million. Net interest income edged up to $153.1 million, but total noninterest income declined 8.8% from the second quarter. First Busey Corporation Announces 2026 Third Quarter Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly earnings were $0.63 per share, below the $0.67 analyst consensus, while revenue of $194.25 million also missed the $195.77 million estimate. Earnings were below the $0.64 per share reported a year earlier, increasing concerns about near-term growth. First Busey Q3 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Provision for credit losses rose sharply to $9.6 million from $2.2 million in the second quarter, while net interest margin narrowed to 3.58% from 3.72%. The company’s separate report of third-quarter net charge-offs is adding to investor focus on credit quality and potentially higher loan-loss costs. First Busey Reports Third-Quarter Net Charge-Offs

First Busey Stock Performance

First Busey stock opened at $29.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 0.75. First Busey has a one year low of $22.12 and a one year high of $31.70. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $29.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The bank reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $194.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.77 million. First Busey had a net margin of 21.00% and a return on equity of 10.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Busey will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Busey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 23rd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. First Busey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.98%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael Cassens sold 1,441 shares of First Busey stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.12, for a total transaction of $41,961.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 128,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,743,987.52. The trade was a 1.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 4,323 shares of company stock worth $130,627 over the last 90 days. 3.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of First Busey by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,067,210 shares of the bank's stock valued at $128,046,000 after purchasing an additional 194,343 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of First Busey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,712,000. Rhino Investment Partners Inc boosted its stake in shares of First Busey by 101.3% during the 1st quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 492,113 shares of the bank's stock valued at $12,436,000 after buying an additional 247,589 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Busey by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 475,547 shares of the bank's stock valued at $12,017,000 after buying an additional 65,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of First Busey by 13.6% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 301,323 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,614,000 after buying an additional 36,140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.49% of the company's stock.

About First Busey

First Busey Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Through its banking and wealth management businesses, the company serves individuals, families, businesses and institutions with a range of financial products and services.

Its principal banking subsidiary, Busey Bank, provides consumer and commercial checking and savings accounts, loans, mortgages, treasury management and other deposit and lending services. First Busey also offers investment management, trust, retirement planning, financial planning and brokerage services through its wealth management operations.

First Busey traces its banking roots to 1868 and primarily serves customers in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Florida, with additional markets following its combination with CrossFirst Bankshares.

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