Michael David Cassens Sells 1,441 Shares of First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) Stock

August 19, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

First Busey director Michael David Cassens sold 1,441 shares for approximately $44,786 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing his ownership by 1.08% to 131,453 shares.
First Busey reported quarterly EPS of $0.69, exceeding estimates by $0.06, while revenue of $194.27 million fell short of consensus expectations. The company maintains a $0.26 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 3.4% yield.
Analysts give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $32 target price; shares recently traded at $30.92, and institutional investors own 56.49% of the company.

First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE - Get Free Report) Director Michael David Cassens sold 1,441 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.08, for a total value of $44,786.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 131,453 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,559.24. The trade was a 1.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

First Busey Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ:BUSE opened at $30.92 on Wednesday. First Busey Corporation has a 12-month low of $22.00 and a 12-month high of $31.70. The firm has a market cap of $2.55 billion, a PE ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.41.

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The bank reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $194.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.59 million. First Busey had a return on equity of 10.48% and a net margin of 21.00%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that First Busey Corporation will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Busey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. First Busey's payout ratio is currently 42.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BUSE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of First Busey from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of First Busey from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of First Busey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of First Busey in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on First Busey from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.00.

View Our Latest Stock Report on First Busey

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Busey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in First Busey by 36,664.6% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,131,973 shares of the bank's stock valued at $74,510,000 after acquiring an additional 3,123,454 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of First Busey by 45.5% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 142,447 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 44,551 shares during the last quarter. Sunesis Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Busey during the fourth quarter worth about $3,732,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of First Busey in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,743,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of First Busey by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,384,661 shares of the bank's stock valued at $32,941,000 after purchasing an additional 102,904 shares during the last quarter. 56.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Busey Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

First Busey (NASDAQ: BUSE) is a bank holding company headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, with roots tracing back to the founding of Busey Bank in 1868. As a regional financial institution, it offers a broad spectrum of banking services to individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Its core activities include commercial lending, deposit-taking, and cash management, which are tailored to meet the needs of local communities across its operating footprint.

In addition to traditional banking operations, First Busey provides wealth management and trust services through its subsidiary aimed at high-net-worth clients and fiduciary accounts.