First Busey (BUSE) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ: BUSE) is a financial services holding company headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Through its primary subsidiary, Busey Bank, the company offers a broad range of banking solutions, including commercial and retail lending, deposit products, treasury management, and electronic banking services. First Busey serves individuals, small and middle-market businesses, and institutional clients across Illinois, Missouri and Florida, leveraging a network of community-focused branches and digital platforms.

In addition to core banking operations, First Busey provides wealth management and trust services through Busey Wealth Management, delivering investment advisory, trust administration and retirement planning solutions. The company’s mortgage division offers origination and servicing of residential loans, while its insurance arm underwrites property, casualty and life policies for personal and commercial clients. First Busey also operates Venture One, a strategic investment group that partners with local startups and growth companies to support technology and innovation in the Midwest.

With roots dating back to the 1860s, First Busey has grown through both organic expansion and targeted acquisitions, including several community banks and financial technology firms. This combination of local decision-making and regional scale enables the company to tailor products to the specific needs of its diverse customer base. First Busey emphasizes digital transformation, investing in online and mobile banking enhancements to complement its in-bank advisory teams.

Leadership at First Busey is led by Richard L. Busey Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, supported by a seasoned executive team with deep experience in banking, finance and risk management. The company remains committed to its community-banking heritage, focusing on relationship-driven service, disciplined credit practices and strategic growth initiatives designed to deliver long-term value for shareholders and customers alike.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $23.92 to $24.14
• 50-Day Range: $21.61 to $24.36
• 52-Week Range: $18.40 to $28.97
• Volume: 321,810 shs
• Average Volume: 413,726 shs
• Market Capitalization: $2.14 billion
• P/E Ratio: 22.39
• Dividend Yield: 4.17%
• Price Target: $27.67
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

First Busey Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

First Busey scored higher than 96% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 79th out of 936 stocks in the finance sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.3 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

First Busey has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.50, and is based on 3 buy ratings, 3 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

First Busey has only been the subject of 4 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 8.05%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for First Busey are expected to grow by 8.05% in the coming year, from $2.61 to $2.82 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of First Busey is 22.39, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 25.86.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of First Busey is 22.39, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 19.20.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

First Busey has a P/B Ratio of 0.99. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.08% of the float of First Busey has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

First Busey has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in First Busey has recently increased by 16.23%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Leadership

First Busey is a leading dividend payer. It pays a dividend yield of 4.17%, putting its dividend yield in the top 25% of dividend-paying stocks.

Dividend Growth

First Busey has been increasing its dividend for 10 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of First Busey is 93.46%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, First Busey will have a dividend payout ratio of 35.46% next year. This indicates that First Busey will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 3.1 / 5
• Environmental Score: -0.49

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.08% of the float of First Busey has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

First Busey has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in First Busey has recently increased by 16.23%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.4 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.11

News Sentiment

First Busey has a news sentiment score of 1.11. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.94 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 13 news articles for First Busey this week, compared to 5 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

3 people have searched for BUSE on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 50% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Insider Trading: Acquiring Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, First Busey insiders have bought more of their company's stock than they have sold. Specifically, they have bought $286,148.00 in company stock and sold $0.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 3.85% of the stock of First Busey is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

56.49% of the stock of First Busey is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

BUSE Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have BUSE shares performed this year?

First Busey's stock was trading at $23.57 at the start of the year. Since then, BUSE shares have increased by 1.7% and is now trading at $23.96.

How were First Busey's earnings last quarter?

First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April, 22nd. The bank reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.04. The bank earned $140.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.15 million. First Busey had a net margin of 8.32% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 8.46%.

Who are First Busey's major shareholders?

First Busey's top institutional investors include UMB Bank n.a. (0.10%) and Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC (0.07%). Insiders that own company stock include Stanley J Bradshaw, Michael David Cassens, Jeffrey David Jones, George Barr, Karen M Jensen, John Joseph Powers, Van A Dukeman, Gregory B Lykins, Scott A Phillips, Steven W Caple, Amy L Randolph, Cassandra R Sanford and Monica L Bowe.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of First Busey?

Shares of BUSE stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of First Busey own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that First Busey investors own include Broadcom (AVGO), NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), Adobe (ADBE), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Arista Networks (ANET).

Company Calendar

• Ex-Dividend for 4/25 Dividend: 4/17/2025
• Record date for 4/25 Dividend: 4/18/2025
• Last Earnings: 4/22/2025
• Dividend Payable: 4/25/2025
• Today: 7/12/2025
• Record date for 7/25 Dividend: 7/18/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 7/25 Dividend: 7/18/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/22/2025
• Dividend Payable: 7/25/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Finance
• Industry: BANKS - MIDWEST
• Sub-Industry: Regional Banks
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:BUSE
• CIK: 314489
• Web: www.busey.com
• Phone: (217) 365-4544
• Fax: 217-365-4879
• Employees: 1,548
• Year Founded: 1868

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for First Busey: $27.67
• High Price Target: $33.00
• Low Price Target: $25.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +15.5%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.50
• Research Coverage: 6 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $1.07
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 22.39
• Forward P/E Ratio: 9.18
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $113.69 million
• Net Margins: 8.32%
• Pretax Margin: 12.40%
• Return on Equity: 8.46%
• Return on Assets: 0.96%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.18
• Current Ratio: 0.90
• Quick Ratio: 0.90

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $663.36 million
• Price / Sales: 3.23
• Cash Flow: $2.69 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 8.91
• Book Value: $24.31 per share
• Price / Book: 0.99

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 89,490,000
• Free Float: 86,046,000
• Market Cap: $2.14 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.77