First Busey (BUSE) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: $2.23B
• Dividend Yield: 3.95%
• Average Volume (3M): 527.18K
• Price to Earnings (P/E): 22.0
• Beta (1Y): 0.87
• Revenue Growth: 41.45%
• EPS Growth: -41.16%
• Country: US
• Employees: 1,965
• Sector: Financial
• Sector Strength: 70
• Industry: Banks - Regional
• EPS (TTM): 0.58
• Shares Outstanding: 88,409,040
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 461,106
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 527,180
• PEG Ratio: -1.30
• Price to Book (P/B): 0.96
• Price to Sales (P/S): 2.01
• P/FCF Ratio: 7.76
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: 1.04
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: 2.50
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: 3.97
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: 13.41
• 1Y Price Target: $26.33
• Price Target Upside: 4.07% Upside
• Rating Consensus: Moderate Buy
• Number of Analyst Covering: 3
• EPS Forecast (FY): N/A
• Revenue Forecast (FY): N/A

• Rating: 72 Outperform
• Price Target: $27.00 ▲(6.72% Upside)

First Busey demonstrates strong financial performance with robust revenue growth and a solid balance sheet. Technical indicators show positive momentum, and corporate events highlight strong financial results and shareholder commitment. However, valuation is moderate, and declining profit margins pose a challenge.

Positive Factors

Revenue Growth

The robust revenue growth indicates effective market expansion and product demand, supporting long-term business sustainability and competitive positioning.

Balance Sheet Strength

A lower debt-to-equity ratio reflects reduced leverage risk and a stronger equity position, enhancing financial stability and flexibility for future growth.

Shareholder Returns

The expanded share repurchase program demonstrates a commitment to returning value to shareholders, potentially boosting investor confidence and stockholder value.

Negative Factors

Declining Profit Margins

Decreasing profit margins could impact profitability, indicating potential cost management issues that may affect long-term financial performance.

Return on Equity Decline

A decline in return on equity suggests reduced profitability relative to shareholder equity, which could hinder the company's ability to generate returns for investors.

Operational Cash Flow Issues

Low operational cash flow conversion indicates potential inefficiencies in cash generation from core operations, which could affect liquidity and operational flexibility.

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 operates through three segments: Banking, FirsTech, and Wealth Management. It offers customary types of demand and savings deposits; and commercial, agricultural, real estate construction, commercial and residential real estate, and consumer loans, as well as home equity lines of credit. The company also provides money transfer, safe deposit, IRA, and other fiduciary services through banking center, ATM and technology-based networks. In addition, it offers investment management, trust, estate advisory, and financial planning services, as well as business succession and employee retirement planning services; investment strategy consulting and fiduciary services; and security brokerage services. Further, the company provides asset management, philanthropic advisory, tax preparation, and professional farm management services; and commercial depository services, such as cash management services. Additionally, it offers payment technology solutions through its payment platform, such as walk-in payment processing for customers at retail pay agents; online bill payment solutions; customer service payments accepted over the telephone; mobile bill pay; direct debit services; electronic concentration of payments delivered to automated clearing house network; money management and credit card networks; and lockbox remittance processing to make payments by mail, as well as provides tools related to billing, reconciliation, bill reminders, and treasury services. The company has 46 banking centers in Illinois; 8 in Missouri; 3 in southwest Florida; and 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. First Busey Corporation was founded in 1868 and is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois.

How the Company Makes Money

First Busey generates revenue through various channels primarily focused on interest income and non-interest income. The largest portion of its revenue comes from net interest income, which is derived from the interest earned on loans and investments minus the interest paid on deposits and borrowings. Key revenue streams include commercial and consumer loans, residential mortgages, and investment securities. Additionally, the company earns non-interest income from service fees, wealth management fees, mortgage origination fees, and other banking services. Strategic partnerships with local businesses and community organizations also enhance its earning potential by expanding its customer base and service offerings.

First Busey Financial Statement Overview

Summary

First Busey exhibits strong revenue growth and a solid balance sheet with reduced leverage. However, declining profit margins and return on equity indicate potential challenges in maintaining profitability. The company shows robust cash flow generation, though operational cash flow conversion could be improved.

Income Statement

First Busey shows a strong revenue growth trajectory with a TTM revenue growth rate of 97.6%, indicating robust expansion. However, the gross profit margin has significantly decreased in the TTM period compared to previous years, which could impact profitability. The net profit margin remains healthy at 12.45%, though it has declined from previous years. EBIT and EBITDA margins are stable, reflecting consistent operational efficiency.

Balance Sheet

The company's debt-to-equity ratio has improved to 0.17 in the TTM period, indicating a stronger equity position and reduced leverage risk. Return on equity has decreased to 4.87%, suggesting a decline in profitability relative to shareholder equity. The equity ratio is solid, reflecting a stable financial structure with a strong asset base.

Cash Flow

First Busey demonstrates a positive free cash flow growth rate of 5.15% in the TTM period, indicating strong cash generation capabilities. The free cash flow to net income ratio is high at 95.34%, showing effective conversion of income into cash. However, the operating cash flow to net income ratio is low, suggesting potential issues with cash flow generation from operations.

Breakdown	TTM	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue	931.74M	662.51M	600.59M	486.60M	431.60M	444.86M
Gross Profit	586.85M	452.86M	438.27M	445.43M	418.60M	362.40M
EBITDA	173.64M	173.86M	176.61M	187.39M	185.00M	156.15M
Net Income	102.62M	113.69M	122.56M	128.31M	123.45M	100.34M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	18.19B	12.05B	12.28B	12.34B	12.86B	10.54B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	430.03M	1.93B	2.81B	2.69B	4.82B	2.95B
Total Debt	451.71M	469.19M	523.58M	917.70M	638.82M	486.29M
Total Liabilities	15.74B	10.66B	11.01B	11.19B	11.54B	9.27B
Stockholders Equity	2.45B	1.38B	1.27B	1.15B	1.32B	1.27B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	157.26M	171.84M	163.86M	160.80M	156.97M	158.98M
Operating Cash Flow	172.69M	178.27M	173.39M	165.79M	162.01M	163.17M
Investing Cash Flow	1.12B	657.90M	550.99M	-290.86M	-829.19M	-729.54M
Financing Cash Flow	-1.46B	-858.09M	-231.96M	-483.86M	814.74M	725.61M

First Busey Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Positive
• Last Price: 25.30
• 50DMA: Positive
• 100DMA: Positive
• 200DMA: Positive
• MACD: Negative
• RSI: Negative
• STOCH: Negative

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 25.3 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 24.20, above the 50-day MA of 23.36, and above the 200-day MA of 22.53, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.59 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 71.29 is Negative, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 85.12 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for BUSE.

First Busey Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
OFG	78 Outperform	$1.87B	9.69	14.82%	2.68%	3.98%	6.75%
NBTB	74 Outperform	$2.31B	14.69	8.87%	3.19%	11.63%	5.58%
BUSE	72 Outperform	$2.23B	22.04	5.33%	3.95%	41.45%	-41.16%
EFSC	70 Neutral	$2.08B	10.93	10.25%	2.15%	6.59%	9.36%
TRMK	68 Neutral	$2.45B	11.19	10.87%	2.34%	17.95%	―
Sector *	68 Neutral	$18.00B	11.42	9.92%	3.81%	9.73%	1.22%

First Busey Corporate Events

First Busey Expands Share Repurchase Program

On December 4, 2025, First Busey Corporation’s board of directors approved an amendment to its share repurchase program, increasing the number of shares available for repurchase by 4,000,000. This amendment allows Busey to repurchase up to 5,454,275 shares of its common stock at its discretion, with no obligation to repurchase a specific amount or number of shares, and the program has no expiration date.

First Busey Announces Quarterly Dividend for Series B Stock

On November 4, 2025, First Busey Corporation announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.515625 per depositary share on its 8.25% Fixed-Rate Series B Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock. This dividend will be payable on December 1, 2025, to stockholders of record as of November 14, 2025, reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to returning value to its shareholders.

First Busey Reports Strong Q3 2025 Financial Results

On October 28, 2025, First Busey Corporation announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025. The company reported a net income of $57.1 million, an increase from the previous quarter and the same quarter last year. The adjusted return on average assets improved to 1.33%, and the net interest margin expanded to 3.58%. The company optimized its balance sheet by reducing high-cost deposits, leading to a decrease in deposit costs and an increase in capital strength. As a result, First Busey expects stability in loans and deposits as it continues its organic growth strategy.

First Busey Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend

On October 14, 2025, First Busey Corporation announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share on its common stock, payable on October 31, 2025, to shareholders recorded by October 24, 2025. This decision reflects the company’s commitment to providing consistent returns to its investors and may influence its market position and investor relations positively.