First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE) Shares Bought by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE) by 565.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 402,097 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 341,692 shares during the period. First Busey makes up approximately 1.2% of Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Cozad Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.73% of First Busey worth $9,980,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Busey by 1,143.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares in the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Busey during the 3rd quarter worth about $218,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of First Busey by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 15,819 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 4,566 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Busey during the third quarter worth about $369,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of First Busey by 18.9% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 23,118 shares of the bank’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,669 shares in the last quarter. 56.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BUSE shares. StockNews.com raised shares of First Busey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of First Busey in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.75.

First Busey Stock Performance

First Busey stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $22.43. The stock had a trading volume of 50,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 160,671. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 0.85. First Busey Co. has a fifty-two week low of $16.26 and a fifty-two week high of $25.80. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

First Busey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. First Busey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.48%.

Insider Activity at First Busey

In other First Busey news, Director Michael David Cassens sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.36, for a total value of $51,428.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 139,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,126,017.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Michael David Cassens sold 2,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.36, for a total transaction of $51,428.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 139,804 shares in the company, valued at $3,126,017.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Karen M. Jensen purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $22.98 per share, for a total transaction of $45,960.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 47,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,093,503.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 2,317 shares of company stock valued at $53,780 and sold 6,900 shares valued at $157,182. 7.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First Busey Profile

First Busey Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Busey Bank that engages in the provision of retail and commercial banking products and services to individual, corporate, institutional, and governmental customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and FirsTech.