First Busey Corp. (BUSE)
NASDAQ:BUSE
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First Busey
(NASDAQ:BUSE)
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Rating:77Outperform
Price Target:
$30.00
â–²(11.19% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:05/23/26
BUSE scores well primarily on improving financial performance—especially stronger TTM profitability and cash generation—supported by a constructive technical uptrend. A low P/E and ~3.8% dividend yield further bolster the score, while cyclical/volatile profitability and a recent rise in debt keep it from scoring higher.
Positive Factors
Cash Generation
Sustained operating cash flow and strong free cash flow conversion (~0.92x net income, OCF ~1.5x net income) indicate durable internal funding. This enhances capacity for lending, capital returns, and buffer against credit shocks, improving long-term financial flexibility and earnings quality.
Negative Factors
Rising Debt Levels
An increase in total debt year-over-year, even at moderate leverage, reduces balance-sheet optionality and can raise interest expense as funding costs shift. Higher debt levels constrain capacity for organic loan growth or additional buybacks and warrant monitoring of funding cost sensitivity.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Cash Generation
Sustained operating cash flow and strong free cash flow conversion (~0.92x net income, OCF ~1.5x net income) indicate durable internal funding. This enhances capacity for lending, capital returns, and buffer against credit shocks, improving long-term financial flexibility and earnings quality.
Read all positive factors
First Busey (BUSE) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$2.27B
Dividend Yield4.11%
Average Volume (3M)527.18K
Price to Earnings (P/E)11.3
Beta (1Y)0.90
Revenue Growth62.15%
EPS Growth107.42%
CountryUS
Employees1,965
SectorFinancial
Sector Strength70
IndustryBanks - Regional
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)2.56
Shares Outstanding84,577,160
10 Day Avg. Volume461,106
30 Day Avg. Volume527,180
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio-0.61
Price to Book (P/B)0.86
Price to Sales (P/S)2.03
P/FCF Ratio12.20
Enterprise Value/Market Cap1.23
Enterprise Value/Revenue2.48
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit3.57
Enterprise Value/Ebitda8.98
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$29.33Price Target Upside8.72% Upside
Rating ConsensusModerate Buy
Number of Analyst Covering3
EPS Forecast (FY)2.47
Revenue Forecast (FY)$808.62M
First Busey Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
First Busey Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Busey Bank that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individual, corporate, institutional, and governmental customers in the United States. The company ope...
How the Company Makes Money
First Busey makes money primarily through (1) net interest income and (2) noninterest income. Net interest income is earned by taking in deposits and other funding sources and deploying those funds into interest-earning assets—most importantly loa...
First Busey Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
78
Positive
Balance Sheet
71
Positive
Cash Flow
82
Very Positive
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 1.12B | 1.04B | 662.51M | 600.59M | 486.60M | 431.60M |
| Gross Profit | 780.66M | 666.84M | 452.86M | 438.27M | 445.43M | 418.60M |
| EBITDA | 310.06M | 204.71M | 173.86M | 176.61M | 187.39M | 185.00M |
| Net Income | 215.23M | 135.26M | 113.69M | 122.56M | 128.31M | 123.45M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 18.04B | 18.10B | 12.05B | 12.28B | 12.34B | 12.86B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 169.04M | 181.04M | 1.93B | 2.81B | 2.69B | 4.82B |
| Total Debt | 662.48M | 490.06M | 469.19M | 523.58M | 917.70M | 638.82M |
| Total Liabilities | 15.62B | 15.64B | 10.66B | 11.01B | 11.19B | 11.54B |
| Stockholders Equity | 2.41B | 2.47B | 1.38B | 1.27B | 1.15B | 1.32B |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 214.29M | 173.76M | 171.84M | 163.86M | 160.80M | 156.97M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 235.73M | 192.57M | 178.27M | 173.39M | 165.79M | 162.01M |
| Investing Cash Flow | 542.56M | 1.10B | 657.90M | 550.99M | -290.86M | -829.19M |
| Financing Cash Flow | -1.68B | -1.69B | -858.09M | -231.96M | -483.86M | 814.74M |
First Busey Technical Analysis
Positive
26.98
Price Trends
25.78
Positive
25.35
Positive
24.21
Positive
Market Momentum
0.14
Negative
59.13
Neutral
78.23
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For BUSE, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 26.98 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 26.34, above the 50-day MA of 25.78, and above the 200-day MA of 24.21, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.14 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 59.13 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 78.23 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for BUSE.
First Busey Risk Analysis
First Busey disclosed 35 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. First Busey reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
First Busey Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
79 Outperform | $2.39B | 10.86 | 9.83% | 3.33% | 17.46% | 16.00% | |
77 Outperform | $2.27B | 11.27 | 8.84% | 4.11% | 62.15% | 107.42% | |
76 Outperform | $2.22B | 10.11 | 10.08% | 2.20% | 9.05% | 3.81% | |
76 Outperform | $1.91B | 8.02 | 15.62% | 2.73% | 4.29% | 15.77% | |
72 Outperform | $2.61B | 11.05 | 10.75% | 2.38% | 19.81% | 3091.83% | |
68 Neutral | $18.00B | 11.42 | 9.92% | 3.81% | 9.73% | 1.22% |
* Financial Sector Average
BUSE
First Busey
27.08
6.34
30.58%
EFSC
Enterprise Financial Services
60.83
9.43
18.35%
NBTB
NBT Bancorp
45.93
5.77
14.35%
OFG
OFG Bancorp
45.05
4.74
11.75%
TRMK
Trustmark
44.40
10.63
31.49%
First Busey Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackShareholder Meetings
First Busey Expands Equity Plan and Share Repurchase Authorization
Positive
May 22, 2026
At its May 20, 2026 annual meeting, First Busey stockholders approved the Second Amended 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, adding 2.1 million shares for a broad range of equity and cash-based awards to employees, directors, and consultants, and elected ...
Dividends
First Busey Declares Quarterly Dividend on Series B Preferred
Positive
May 5, 2026
On May 5, 2026, First Busey Corporation declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.515625 per depositary share on its 8.25% Fixed-Rate Series B Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock. The dividend will be paid on June 1, 2026, to stockholders of r...
Business Operations and StrategyFinancial DisclosuresM&A Transactions
First Busey Posts Strong Q1 2026 Earnings Recovery
Positive
Apr 28, 2026
On April 28, 2026, First Busey reported first-quarter 2026 net income of $50.0 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, versus $60.8 million in the prior quarter and a $30.0 million loss a year earlier, reflecting a sharp recovery from 2025. Adjusted ...
Dividends
First Busey Declares Quarterly Dividend, Signals Ongoing Stability
Positive
Apr 14, 2026
On April 14, 2026, First Busey Corporation declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.26 per share on its outstanding common stock, reinforcing its ongoing practice of returning capital to shareholders. The dividend is scheduled to be paid on May 1,...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.