BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $633,000 Stock Holdings in First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of First Busey Co. (NASDAQ:BUSE) by 127.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,330 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,654 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in First Busey were worth $633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Busey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Huntington National Bank bought a new position in shares of First Busey during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of First Busey during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of First Busey by 257.4% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,439 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in First Busey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.49% of the company’s stock.

First Busey Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BUSE opened at $26.43 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.94 and a 200 day moving average of $25.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.62 and a beta of 0.86. First Busey Co. has a 12 month low of $21.68 and a 12 month high of $28.97.

First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. First Busey had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 16.94%. The company had revenue of $170.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $118.32 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Busey Co. will post 2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Busey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. First Busey’s payout ratio is 49.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BUSE has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised First Busey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of First Busey from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of First Busey from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens lowered shares of First Busey from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $28.00 to $27.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th.

First Busey Company Profile

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.