First Busey Corporation $BUSE is Bayview Asset Management LLC’s 9th Largest Position

Bayview Asset Management LLC lifted its position in First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE) by 43.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 71,920 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,920 shares during the quarter. First Busey makes up about 0.4% of Bayview Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Bayview Asset Management LLC’s holdings in First Busey were worth $1,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BUSE. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC grew its holdings in First Busey by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC now owns 36,803 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $876,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in First Busey by 5.1% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 13,237 shares of the bank’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in First Busey by 0.7% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 91,585 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,120,000 after buying an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in First Busey by 127.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,583 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in First Busey by 6.2% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,043 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 998 shares during the period. 56.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Busey

In other news, CAO Scott A. Phillips bought 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, with a total value of $129,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief accounting officer owned 8,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $216,265. This trade represents a 149.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.77% of the company’s stock.

First Busey Stock Up 1.1%

First Busey stock opened at $28.78 on Friday. First Busey Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $21.63 and a fifty-two week high of $28.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.79 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.58.

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.10. First Busey had a return on equity of 10.19% and a net margin of 19.16%.The business had revenue of $197.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.15 million. Equities research analysts expect that First Busey Corporation will post 2.57 earnings per share for the current year.

First Busey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. First Busey’s payout ratio is presently 46.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on BUSE. Weiss Ratings upgraded First Busey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on First Busey from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on First Busey from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.50.

About First Busey

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.