First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE) CEO Purchases $15,289.12 in Stock

First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE) CEO Van A. Dukeman purchased 748 shares of First Busey stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $20.44 per share, with a total value of $15,289.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $267,743.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

First Busey Stock Performance

Shares of BUSE opened at $22.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s fifty day moving average is $23.01 and its 200-day moving average is $22.76. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $16.26 and a 12 month high of $25.80.

First Busey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 18th. First Busey’s payout ratio is 48.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Busey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BUSE. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of First Busey by 40.1% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 34,069 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $819,000 after purchasing an additional 9,755 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in First Busey by 35.3% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 39,888 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 10,401 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in First Busey by 30.3% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 99,397 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,390,000 after acquiring an additional 23,142 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in First Busey by 3,072.7% during the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 34,900 shares of the bank’s stock worth $839,000 after acquiring an additional 33,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in First Busey during the fourth quarter valued at about $249,000. 56.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First Busey

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.