First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) Upgraded at StockNews.com

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

Separately, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of First Busey in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Busey presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.75.

First Busey Stock Up 2.5 %

BUSE stock opened at $22.89 on Tuesday. First Busey has a twelve month low of $16.26 and a twelve month high of $25.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.76.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael David Cassens sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.02, for a total value of $52,946.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 141,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,252,219.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other First Busey news, Director Karen M. Jensen acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $22.98 per share, for a total transaction of $45,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 47,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,503.30. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael David Cassens sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.02, for a total transaction of $52,946.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 141,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,252,219.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 4,348 shares of company stock worth $93,953 and have sold 6,900 shares worth $157,182. Corporate insiders own 7.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of First Busey

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in First Busey by 1,143.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the period. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Busey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $238,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of First Busey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $249,000. Everhart Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Busey in the third quarter worth $218,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in First Busey by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 15,819 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 4,566 shares during the last quarter. 56.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.