First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) Hits New 12-Month High Following Strong Earnings

Posted by George Bondi on Jul 29th, 2026

First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE – Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $30.52 and last traded at $30.5030, with a volume of 82728 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $30.23.

The bank reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $194.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.59 million. First Busey had a return on equity of 10.19% and a net margin of 19.16%.

First Busey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. First Busey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.22%.

First Busey News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: First Busey reported diluted EPS of $0.69, above analyst estimates ranging from $0.63 to $0.65 and up from $0.52 in both the prior quarter and year-ago period. Adjusted EPS also rose 9.5% year over year. First Busey Q2 Earnings Top Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Profitability improved materially: net income increased to $63.2 million, adjusted return on average assets reached 1.43%, and the efficiency ratio improved to 54.0% from 55.3% a year earlier. Noninterest expense declined 11.9% year over year, reflecting continued cost discipline. First Busey Announces Second Quarter Earnings
Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet and fee-based businesses provided additional support. Deposits grew 11% on an annualized basis during the quarter, the Common Equity Tier 1 ratio rose to 12.53%, and wealth-management assets under care reached a record $16.51 billion. Busey also repurchased 2.34 million shares for $63.1 million and paid a $0.26 common dividend. First Busey Reports Higher Profitability and Deposit Growth
Neutral Sentiment: Revenue of approximately $194.3 million was below the roughly $197.6 million consensus estimate. Net interest income also declined modestly from the first quarter as loan balances and purchase-accounting accretion decreased, despite year-over-year margin expansion. First Busey Reports Sales Below Estimates
Negative Sentiment: Investors will monitor rising credit risk: nonperforming assets increased to $70.3 million, or 0.39% of total assets, from $49.9 million in the prior quarter. Classified assets also rose year over year, although net charge-offs declined and loss reserves remained substantial.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BUSE has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of First Busey from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of First Busey from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of First Busey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of First Busey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First Busey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.75.

View Our Latest Research Report on BUSE

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Scott A. Phillips purchased 5,000 shares of First Busey stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.90 per share, for a total transaction of $129,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,350 shares in the company, valued at $216,265. This represents a 149.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Busey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in First Busey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of First Busey during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of First Busey by 127.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,583 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Busey in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in First Busey by 726.1% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,280 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 2,004 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.49% of the company’s stock.

First Busey Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $28.66 and its 200-day moving average is $26.72.

First Busey Company Profile

(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.