First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE) Stock Holdings Boosted by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE - Free Report) by 162.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,635 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 14,022 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in First Busey were worth $534,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of First Busey by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 20,427 shares of the bank's stock valued at $532,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in First Busey by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 111,799 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,635,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in First Busey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 84,997 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,003,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in First Busey by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 16,983 shares of the bank's stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Busey by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 121,310 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,156,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.49% of the company's stock.

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First Busey Stock Performance

Shares of BUSE traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $22.20. 115,390 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 278,362. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. First Busey Co. has a fifty-two week low of $21.21 and a fifty-two week high of $28.97. The business's 50 day moving average is $23.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27 and a beta of 0.84.

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.01. First Busey had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 17.14%. On average, equities analysts expect that First Busey Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

First Busey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This is an increase from First Busey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.50%. First Busey's payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $33.00 target price (down previously from $34.00) on shares of First Busey in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of First Busey in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of First Busey from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of First Busey in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, First Busey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.00.

Insider Transactions at First Busey

In related news, Director Stanley J. Bradshaw purchased 1,838 shares of First Busey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $23.75 per share, for a total transaction of $43,652.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 437,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,390,173.75. The trade was a 0.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.10% of the company's stock.

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.