First Busey announces leadership changes and earnings update

An update from First Busey ( (BUSE) ) is now available.

On January 27, 2026, First Busey Corporation announced a leadership shake-up and detailed fourth-quarter 2025 results, marking the culmination of its CrossFirst integration and a year of improved profitability. The company confirmed the departure of Michael J. Maddox, former President and Vice Chairman of First Busey and President and CEO of Busey Bank, effective that day, under a separation agreement that includes more than $8.5 million in cash severance and retention-related payments, full vesting of unvested equity awards, and ongoing post-employment non-compete and related covenants; the package will generate a non-recurring pre-tax expense of about $9 million in the first quarter of 2026. The board reappointed CEO Van A. Dukeman as President of First Busey and CEO of Busey Bank and elevated T. Anthony Hammond to President of Busey Bank, reinforcing continuity in the wake of the leadership transition. For the fourth quarter of 2025, First Busey reported net income of $60.8 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, up from $28.1 million a year earlier, with adjusted metrics showing stronger returns on assets and tangible common equity and net interest margin expansion driven by tight deposit cost control; wealth management delivered record fee income as assets under care rose to $15.66 billion, capital ratios and tangible book value improved despite substantial share repurchases, and full-year 2025 net income reached $135.3 million, positioning the bank as well capitalized heading into 2026 even as it intentionally ran off high-cost, non-relationship funding and absorbed an operating loss tied to a single relationship.

The most recent analyst rating on (BUSE) stock is a Hold with a $26.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on First Busey stock, see the BUSE Stock Forecast page.

Spark’s Take on BUSE Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, BUSE is a Neutral.

The score is driven primarily by solid financial performance (strong revenue growth, improved leverage, and good cash conversion) and supportive recent corporate updates (dividend raise and positive quarterly results). Offsetting these are softer profitability metrics (lower margins/ROE) and only neutral technical momentum.

To see Spark’s full report on BUSE stock, click here.

More about First Busey

First Busey Corporation, headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, is a financial services company that operates Busey Bank and related subsidiaries, providing commercial and consumer banking, wealth management and other financial services. The company has been expanding through acquisitions, including its merger with CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc., and focuses on deposit cost control, disciplined credit and risk management, and growing wealth management assets across both legacy and new markets.

Average Trading Volume: 453,803

Technical Sentiment Signal: Buy

Current Market Cap: $2.19B

Find detailed analytics on BUSE stock on TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.