First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Jul 1st, 2026

Shares of First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $30.14 and last traded at $30.13, with a volume of 227602 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BUSE has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on First Busey from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of First Busey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on First Busey from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on First Busey from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Busey has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.60.

Read Our Latest Research Report on BUSE

First Busey Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.00. The company has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.10. First Busey had a net margin of 19.16% and a return on equity of 10.19%. The company had revenue of $197.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.15 million. On average, analysts predict that First Busey Corporation will post 2.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Busey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. First Busey’s dividend payout ratio is 46.22%.

Insider Activity at First Busey

In other First Busey news, CAO Scott A. Phillips bought 5,000 shares of First Busey stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.90 per share, with a total value of $129,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $216,265. This represents a 149.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BUSE. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC raised its stake in First Busey by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC now owns 36,803 shares of the bank’s stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of First Busey by 5.1% in the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 13,237 shares of the bank’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of First Busey by 0.7% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 91,585 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,120,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of First Busey by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 20,335 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of First Busey by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 91,534 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,178,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the period. 56.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About First Busey

(Get Free Report)

First Busey (NASDAQ: BUSE) is a bank holding company headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, with roots tracing back to the founding of Busey Bank in 1868. As a regional financial institution, it offers a broad spectrum of banking services to individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Its core activities include commercial lending, deposit-taking, and cash management, which are tailored to meet the needs of local communities across its operating footprint.

In addition to traditional banking operations, First Busey provides wealth management and trust services through its subsidiary aimed at high-net-worth clients and fiduciary accounts.